Shifting Secrets
by Mr.Waves
Summary: Bella is born with the ability to shift into a wolf, but as she continues to learn more about her past, she discovers she could be much more than just that. Suddenly, when her family is massacred, Bella is forced to relocate. Eventually, time brings her to the town of Forks, where she tries to begin anew. However, she starts to fall for a vampire and things get complicated. Rated M
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've always really enjoyed fantasy stories, especially any that involve Werewolves! So bare with me when I say, I am trying to put my own spin on that idea. I tried writing a fic once. I didn't get very far in it, and I was very disappointed with my writing. This is my second attempt! Please review and tell me what you think! I don't really know how much of this will follow any known story, but I don't care :) Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1

Experienced hands run their way through brown, wavy hair. Small hands are fiddling anxiously, as a women braids loose pieces of hair. When it is done, the small child runs over to the closest mirror, studying the woven pieces of her hair. A huge smile envelopes the young child's face as she spins to meet her mother's smile.

"Bella, are you OK? What are you doing up there?," Angela shouts up the stairs. Bella's eyes snap back to her reflection in the mirror. Her hands still holding onto the finished braid in her hair. She shakes the memories from her mind, and quickly grabs her backpack off the ground.

"Sorry Speckles, I got distracted," Bella said, making her way down the stairs and toward her waiting friend. Angela scoffed.

"You know, just because I wear glasses doesn't mean you just get to just call me that," she teased over her shoulder as Bella followed her out of the house and down the driveway, "and thanks to you, we are going to miss first period."

Bella's only responded with a wink before both ladies got into Angela's car. The ride to school was mostly Angela talking about potential boyfriends and other things, all of which are completely irrelevant to the distracted passenger staring out the window. Bella watched the trees pass by in a blur, absently thinking about her family. No one knew it, but Bella was a werewolf, or at least that's what people call someone who is part wolf.

Bella's parents were apart of a Native American tribe, based out of California, the Tsin Biyol, Tree Spirits. The reservation was far away from most cities and towns, which was perfect, because this tribe kept special magic hidden away from the world. Bella was the daughter to the last chieftains in the tribe and, like every child born of chieftain descent, was born with an affinity for one of the many animal species on the planet. As Angela pulled into the school lot and parked, Bella bitterly ran her fingers over the small tattoo on her wrist, which was just a mere paw print. It was small, black, and Bella hated how insignificant if felt. Her mothers tattoo had stretched up her whole arm. It felt like betrayal to never learn why her own tattoo had appeared differently.

"Alright Speckles, as invigorating as this conversation has been," Bella exclaimed, cutting her friend's rant off mid sentence and exiting the car, "I gotta get to second period before that professor decides I belong in detention, rather than the outside world." After a confused nod from Angela, the frustrated werewolf shut the door, a little too hard, and hurriedly made her way to second period.

"What is the matter with you," Bella mumbled under her breath, "Get a grip, you're in public. This is no time for a mental fucking break down."

When she finally made it to the classroom, something stopped her at the door frame. There was a bizarre smell in the air and Bella was certain it was coming from the classroom. Other students filed inside, clearly not caring about any smells in the air, all while sending Bella agitated glares for blocking the way. Expecting a monster to swoop down upon her, the werewolf cautiously walked into the classroom.

All did, indeed, appear normal, except for the boy in the front row whose jaw dropped at the sight of her. Bella rolled her eyes and quickly scolded herself for being on edge, brushing past the drooling boy in the front, and took a seat in the back. Class started shortly after and it was highly uneventful the entire time. Returning to her thoughts, Bella  
drowned out the boring lecture and remembered what it was like to live with the tribe, hanging about with the tree's and wind, and sleeping under perfectly still skies. Compared to this cramped, loud, and obnoxious society, it was depressing to think she could never go back to the life she had with her family.

When the bell signaled that class was over, Bella was about finished packing up her things when the same, weird, smell wafted into the air again. Only this time, she trusted her nose to find the source. The werewolf twisted around in couple of circles until she was facing the front of the classroom, where there was a girl chatting with the professor.

Nothing seemed to be special about this girl. She had a small frame and from the looks of her arms, pale, very pale. Bella snickered to herself, obviously she could use some sun. The girls hair was also black, it reminded Bella of a starless night and it was cut short, in a pixie cut. Bella shrugged, she couldn't really figure out why she was smelling this girl more distinctly than others and began to look away, but was pulled back in by laughter. The girl was laughing at something the professor has said and after she recomposed herself, her golden iris' met Bella's green ones. A smile spread across the other girls face and she quickly excused herself, and made her way over to Bella.

"You're new, aren't you?" the girl inquired, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Yeah, I recently moved here from Cali. I'm uh, Bella." The girl raised a eyebrow in question, but must have decided against prying.

"Well, I'm Alice, and it is nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Though, I think you might change your mind if you got to know me." Bella remarked smiling. Alice laughed softly, flickering her eyes down to the ground momentarily, before meeting Bella's gaze again.

"Honestly, I could say the same to you, as well." After a moment, Alice fished her phone from her pocket, "Why don't we see just how much we will come to regret by getting to know each other, mm?"

Bella stared distractedly at Alice's hands for several seconds before realizing she was being handed something, and hurriedly grabbed the device. A blush crept up the werewolves cheeks as she punched her number into the contacts. When she handed it back, Alice winked and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"My next class starts soon, so I am going to go, but I'll be sure to talk to you later."

"I'll hold you to that," Bella chimed as Alice walked out the door. The werewolf was still very confused about what was so special about this girl, but she had to get to her other classes too. After quickly gathering her things, Bella tore out the door.

* * *

Undoubtedly, after meeting Alice, the rest of the school day just drug on. Each class got more and more boring with each passing hour. When the last class was finally dismissed, Bella was itching to go for run. A real run. One where the wind whipped through her fur.

It was hard to get out of the school building with so many people, students were loitering everywhere, crowding around the lockers or congregating in doorways. It took every ounce of her strength not to shift and maul everyone down right there, but when Bella was finally outside, she walked as briskly as she could towards the trees.

As soon as no one else was in sight and the tree's swallowed her, she started running. After a dozen strides, Bella's feet were gone and, instead, paws beat against the earth. The clothes that were once covering skin, fell off the wolfs sprinting figure and were lost in the leaves. It didn't take long before Bella could feel nothing but wolf and happily she howled.

* * *

Bella ran for hours, getting to see the cliff side and map out the trees. If she was going to live here, she wanted to know the forest, top to bottom.

Exhausted, the brown wolf meandered to the edge of the forest, her little house slowly coming into view. Snap. Bella froze, letting her ears flick around, listening. Snap. Twisting around on her hind legs, Bella snarled at the intruder, her teeth bared. However, the world seemed to stop when her eyes, once again, met golden iris' and as Bella's green eyes roamed over Alice's small frame, it was hard to ignore the fact she was covered in blood.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am having an slight existential crisis and I'm not sure whether or not to write this story in third or first person. I did have a tough time putting third person into practice, but I have also been told that stories can read better that way. Soooo in an effort to help me decide, for this chapter, I am going to attempt some first person point of view stuff. Perhaps, I just write third person terribly or maybe more people like reading in first person, idk. I wanna hear your opinions. Thanks for being here and enjoy the next bit.

Bella POV

I felt the fur on my limbs stand up under the scrutiny of Alice's stare. She looked….dangerous. Her eyes were black, much like her hair. She was rigid and unmoving. The the only real sign she was conscious was her head, which was tilting ever so slightly to the side. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over her blood soaked frame and down her arms which were holding a dead mountain lion by the paw. Her clothes weren't torn or mangled, they were just stained red. I felt a uneasy growl grow in my throat. She was a fucking vampire, fantastic.

" _Bella, what have you gotten yourself into now?,"_ I thought to myself, _"I should probably be careful_." This was the same girl who I met in class just hours ago, but now, there are some possible scenarios where I end up killing her or dying. Several moments passed and the forest was silent, save for the seagulls cawing along the rocky cliff ridden shore some odd miles away.

"You aren't like the others," Alice suddenly whispered, just loud enough for my ears to hear, "All the other predators I find just run away." Her voice was still the same as before, at least. Smooth and light, fitting, for her strikingly beautiful face. She dropped the dead mammal, Alice clearly had no intent of dragging in any further, and took a few steps forward. I felt fear rise in my chest and I snarled again, pushing my ears against my head.

Something in my stance must have shook the girl across from me out of whatever fog she was in because Alice went still. I watched her squeeze her eyes shut and cover her nose with hand. I wanted so badly to run then. I thought my life was just saved by a miracle, but something told me to stay. Hesitantly, I sat down, keeping my eyes trained on Alice. She didn't move for what seemed like hours, nothing but the forest made noise. Impatiently, I barked a tiny bark.

"I knew it! You are still here! Why...haven't you run?" Alice trailed off, her eyes finally peeling themselves open. She watched me carefully as I leaned into the ground, stretching my front legs and huffed at her, turning around towards my house.

" _I stayed because it felt wrong to leave you here."_ I grumbled in my thoughts, dragging my achy wolf body officially out of the woods and across the street. I felt Alice still following me, so when I reached my lawn, I turned to face her again. I whined at her questioningly. Alice furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, staying on the opposite side of the street.

"I was going to eat you, yah know," she stated, matter of factly, "and the only reason I didn't was because some part of me knew you weren't just any ole wolf." Alice tucked some hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "You smell like any other animal, but-" she crouched on my level and met my eyes. I froze, fear creeping up in my chest again. There was no way she could tell by my eyes it was me just yet, but I was nervous nonetheless. I met her gave and wagged my tail softly, to indicate my appreciation. I didn't wanna fight a vampire or be it's meal.

"Wait, you can understand me?" Alice questioned, still crouching down and searching my face. I nodded, my tail wagging faster on its own accord. "Crap, that suggests intelligence. Only then could you develop comprehension skills…" Alice stood and started pacing, only sparing me a glance every so often.

I could start to feel my bones ache. If I stayed shifted for long periods of time, it becomes increasingly more painful to shift back, until eventually you can't. The brain will just forgets what the human form looks like.

"Hey, wolfie. Hellooooo?," Alice was trying to wave a hand in front of my face, "Can I maybe convince you to let me see you again? You are kind of fascinating…" Alice chucked and smiled at me. The same heart melting smile from earlier in the classroom.

I looked up at the sky, grumbling some sounds under my breath. I didn't think this was a good idea, but maybe I could learn a thing or two. I nodded, thumping my tail against the ground.

"Excellent! Thank you. Until next time." Alice turned to leave and as she disappeared back in the forest, I let out a howl. I didn't finally shift back into my human form until I spent several minutes listening for her presence, and had drug myself back into my house.

The seamless shift I had earlier was nothing like this one. My bones cracked and popped. My fur shrinking back into my skin felt like fire. "Holy shit," I squeaked, feeling my muscles re-attaching themselves and joints molding to one another. When it was all over and I was curled into a ball on my living room carpet, I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

Slowly, I picked myself off the floor and made my way towards my bed. I flopped my naked body and covered up, closing my eyes. When I was little, my mother use to tell me that shifting was a beautiful experience, but we are cursed to only enjoy it for so long.

The longest anyone can shift with no ill effects is 6 hours; a fourth of a day. With each hour after that, you will slowly become more powerful in that current form, but you will start to forget your human body. When a whole day has passed, you won't be able to shift back. The tales of lost warriors losing their minds to the animal were famous in the tribes. Many didn't believe them though, assuring themselves it only happens to those who are foolish, but it is a very real reality. I let out a sigh. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

* * *

I started my day with Angela forcing me from my warm bed. I did have the last laugh thought because she was not expecting me to be nude. On the ride to school, she tried to ask why I was sleeping naked, but I just made jokes about her wanting to talk about my hot bod and she quickly dropped the subject. It was then I realized I left my backpack in the fucking woods along with my clothes. I will have to grab them later.

As I walked into first period, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. As I pulled it out, I took my seat in the back of class. It was a message from Alice.

 _Alice: You busy after school today?_ I internally cringed, this could be bad.

 _Me: I do have something to do right after school, but it will be quick. So i'm free._ She texted back immediately.

 _Alice: Good! I know a great coffee shop ;) You in?_ I shook my head, smiling. It's hard to believe Alice a vampire when she acts so innocent with me.

 _Me: Coffee? You? How could I possibly refuse._ She took a bit longer to respond, but as class started I felt my phone vibrate again.

 _Alice: Glad to see my charm works on you. Pick you up at 7._

* * *

When I got into second period I didn't smell Alice at all. The scent I had picked up on yesterday was vacant from the room today. Not being able to smell it made me really wanna just leave, but part of me hoped she was running late. I sulked to the back of the room and took a seat. When the professor came in a couple minutes later, with no Alice following behind, I felt disappointment well up in my throat. I sighed.

"How's about for our lecture on ultraviolet light and wavelengths we take the class outside today? It's not very often that the sun comes out in Forks." The teacher announced, chortling at his joke about the town's dreary reputation.

As the other students began getting their things together, I stared out the window someone in the last class probably opened to let the sunlight in. I bet that is why Alice isn't here today. Agh, fucking vampire.

* * *

After school I texted Alice the address of Angela's house. I was really nervous that if I told Alice where I really live she would be able to connect the dots better. I was standing on the porch, tracing my fingers absently over my tattoo when Alice pulled up. She was driving an expensive BMW and I couldn't help but laugh. As I climbed in to her vehicle, Alice was glaring at me.

"I saw you laughing. Why were you laughing?" I shrugged and gestured to the car.

"Honestly, I laughed because for some reason this really expensive vehicle totally fits your image. I shouldn't be surprised that you would

pick me up in it." It was Alice's turn to laugh and she backed out of the driveway and started driving.

"Well, thanks...I think. Anyway, my car is not why we have both are here," Alice looked over at me and winked, "We are both here to get to know each other and drink delicious coffee. Now if you are ok with it, the best way I think you can get to know someone is to play 20 questions." I gasped in faux shock.

"No! Anything but that Alice!" The vampire snickered at me as we pulled up to the place.

"Oh stop it, it's fun and easy."

"Alright, we can do the questions game, but if it's not fun and I die of boredom, I will come back to haunt you."

"You have my word that this experience will be a pleasant one." We both laughed at each other again and exit the car. When we got into the building Alice tells me to find a seat and she will get the treats this time. I dawdle around, shuffling past many empty tables for a bit before I settle on a booth against the front window. When I take a seat, Alice follows right behind, sitting across from me. She slides me a steaming mug of brown liquid, while clutching her own.

"So Bella, is it ok if I go first?" I nod, trying to take a sip of my coffee. "Alright, tell me about why you moved to Forks."

"Well that's not really a question, but I moved here because I needed to get away from my past." Alice drummed her fingers against the table.

"So you're a runaway. Interesting. Ok, it's your turn." I put my fingers on my chin, pretending to think extremely hard. When I earned a giggle from Alice, I continued.

"Ok, have you live in Forks your whole life?"

"No way. My boyfriend and I moved here with my family about 2 years ago. We use to live all over the country." I nodded, trying to hide even more disappointment at the mention of Alice's lover.

"What is your family like?" I choked on a mouthful of coffee at the mention of my family. I spent the next minute coughing and trying to catch my breath. Alice reached out and touched my arm. "Jeeze are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Uh," I pulled my arm out of Alice's touch, feeling uncomfortable with the affection, "My family is dead."

"OH MY GOSH. Bella! I am so sorry! I had no idea. I shouldn't have assumed that-" I cut her off.

"Alice, it's alright. They've been dead since I was 5," I chuckled bitterly, intertwining my hands together, "My mother was apart of an Indian tribe in California. She lived on a reservation. She fell in love with a visiting journalist. He was there to get inspiration for an article he was writing advocating for Native American land. They met in secret, and when they found out I was on the way, they ran away together." I felt my throat close and tears threaten to spill over. Alice got up and scooted into my side of the booth.

"Only continue if you want to, Bella. I can tell this is hard for you." Alice wrapped her arm around me and I sighed, determined to get through this.

"When my parents had put enough distance between them and the tribe, they settled down in a small town. My mother stayed home a lot. She was weary of her new environment. Eventually though, after I was born, she had to go out much more often. It didn't take long for people to find out where she came from and to make assumptions about her. The local church made it a point to villainize our people. There were rumors around how she must have brainwashed her husband with her 'Indian magic'." I sneered the phrase, feeling the anger boil in my blood. "One night, the people broke into my home and killed them both. Then they hand delivered me back to my tribe with a note telling us to stay in our cage."

There was silence between Alice and I. She never removed her arm from around me, even after I stopped talking. We both just sipped at our drinks, basking in the horror of my story. Finally, Alice spoke.

"I see why your a runaway now. I hope all those people got what they deserved." I looked over at Alice's face, her eyes were hard and a grimace was clear on her face. She excused herself to the bathroom and when she was out of site, I looked out the window at the night sky.

"Don't worry, I made sure they did."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Sorry for the silence! Holidays and finals took all my energy. But I am back and trying to stay on top of this. I'm glad some people like where I am going with this nonsense, so thanks for being here! Enjoy what I got written this time!

Chapter 3

Bella's POV

I was still staring out the window when Alice came back. I was watching the couples and a few families meander past the coffee shop. The sun still left it's bleeding colors on the horizon as it set. Alice cleared her throat as she climbed back into her side of the booth. I pulled my eyes from the world outside and met her gaze. She was smiling, but the edges of her face crept downward. Her eyes still shined gold, but they also lacked their usual sparkle. Her sad demeanor made me wonder, can vampires cry? I realized I didn't know to much about them. No one in the tribe talked much about other kinds of magic and supernatural.

I didn't linger too long in my thoughts before Alice asked another question, thus tugging me into a new conversation, thus beginning her game anew. We tried to speak of lighter things; happier things. The burn of my families bitter end still crackling underneath us, but we managed to enjoy the warmth. People came and went for the next hour, none of them paying attention to the multitude of topics we explored, from trivial things and questioning the universe. Until, eventually, the owner gave us a knowing look from behind the cash register, licking his finger and thumbing through wads of dollar bills.

"How long do you think we can stay before grumpy coffee guy boots us out?" Alice flicked her eyes over to the man in question, trying to stifle her giggle.

"Ralph wouldn't boot me out, but you on the other hand…" Alice laughed, gathering her coat and purse, "He would probably boot you out in a second I'm sure." We both exited the booth and made our way to the front.

"I have no idea why you would imply that about me, what kind of person do you take me for?" Alice offered Ralph a small wave, and he gave one in return. When the two of us were outside, Alice made her way to her car. I followed suit, stopping with the door ajar.

"To me, you seem like a person that could get pretty wild," Alice paused at her own car door, sliding one hand under the handle and leaning against the frame, "Under the right circumstances, of course." Alice winked and got in. I willed my legs to get me into the car. Flashes of a clothes less Alice flickered behind my eyes, and it caught me by surprise. I tried to shake it off.

"Anyway Alice, I get the last question tonight, is that ok with you?" Alice grinned.

"Duh! Whatcha got for me?" I thought for a moment.

"Why did you wanna be my friend in the first place?"

"Well," Alice began, pausing to chew on her bottom lip, "I suppose since you ended up sharing something personal with me, I trust that I can share something weirdly personal with you." I nodded.

"I know we didn't swear the code of secrecy or anything, but consider it sworn." Alice didn't respond right away, seeming to focus all her energy on driving. Her eyes were focused out the windshield and her hands never strayed from the steering wheel.

"I know this might sound a little uh, far fetched," Alice tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "but, I was kind of like drawn to you." I sucked a small breath in, remembering that smell from the first time Alice and I met. My surprise was audible enough for Alice to notice. "Oh my god, please don't think I'm weird. I promise I'm not obsessed with you or anything. I just felt this, I don't know, gut feeling when I saw you. I just wanted to try and understand what that meant, yah know?" Alice pulled into the driveway of my (Angela's) house and hurriedly turned towards me, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Relax Alice. I'm not weirded out, I promise." Alice let out a breath and visibly relaxed.

"Okay. Good." I chuckled.

"Yep, no worries. Thanks for the great time tonight. Let's do this again sometime?" Alice flashed me her melting smile.

"Let's. Goodnight Bella."

"Night." I replied, climbing out of the car. I waved as Alice took off down the road and I was only alone for a minute before I heard Angela open the front door.

"Alright, so explain to me again how come you needed to use my house?" Angela paused, before gasping, "Are you in, like, the CIA?"

* * *

The next couple of days went by quicker than I anticipated. Each day after our first get together, Alice and I spent increasingly more time together. The second time Alice and I met up, we met at the park, to take a walk, and she told me the story about how she was adopted.

"You're adopted? Forreals?" I asked, kicking a rock up the sidewalk. Alice snickered at me, and shoved her hands into her jacket.

"Why do you ask that like it's hard to believe or something?" I spun around and looked at her, raising my hands in surrender.

"I'm not. Spare me your wrath!." Alice laughed and ran her hand through her hair. For a single breath, Alice stole mine away. She met my gaze and I quickly tore away my eyes, becoming infatuated with the weeds along the sidewalk. Alice continued talking as she walked past me.

"You know, it's not just me either. All my brothers and my other sister are adopted too. Our parents, well, they couldn't have kids the traditional way. Thus their haggle of misfits came to be. Really, there isn't much else to say about it."

I watched Alice's walking form. I didn't start following until she looked at me over her shoulder, and her eyes twinkled with anticipation.

"You coming?"

* * *

The third time Alice and I hung out we went to the mall. I wasn't at all surprised to find out Alice enjoys plundering the treasures of literally any clothing rack. During this spree of buying way to many things she didn't need, she asked about my tattoo.

"So that paw print on your wrist, does it mean something?"

I stopped pulling hangers aside and bit my lip. I couldn't tell her the truth yet, it was still too soon. I decided to go vague.

"It's for my mother." Alice looked up at me from across the way.

"Your mom was a dog?" Alice grinned. She had no idea how spot on she was. I snorted, and rolled my eyes.

"No, she was just a big fan of them. It was a big part of my childhood." Alice pulled a couple things into her hands and gestured to the back of the store. The dressing room sign hung over an ominous hallway.

I followed Alice past the many overflowing racks and down the hallway. The one store clerk paid us no mind, while she filed her nails behind the register. When we turned the corner there were two dressing rooms, littered with discarded hangers and ugly tank tops. Alice wiggled her eyebrows as she stepped into the cleaner one.

"Well if your mom liked dogs, what kind of animals do you like?" Alice asked through the dressing room walls. I could hear things unzipping and it took every bit of will power I had to stay put. I leaned against the wall.

"I am kind of partial to all animals. They all share unique and interesting qualities."Alice didn't respond right away. I was about to say her name when the dressing room door opened. Standing there, in skin tight black jeans and a goldish white crop top, was Alice.

"So you're a nature girl. I bet you hate that I brought you here then." Alice spoke, looking down to adjust where the jeans sat on her hips. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My silence must have bothered Alice because she put her hands on her hips and glared at me. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog, and say something not weird.

"Alice I'd go anywhere with you." I internally cringed and before Alice could retort, I left to go to the bathroom. She never mentioned it the rest of the night and I couldn't get the image of her taught smooth stomach from my mind.

* * *

On the fourth day Alice and I hung out, I almost didn't go. Between school, evenings with Alice, and the weekends with Alice, I haven't had a chance to shift. My skin is so itchy and my muscles are tense. It feels like my body is confined to a just a small cage and it is dying to be free. I've also finally been noticing that I've been more focused on Alice. I can smell her from miles away. I am easily riled up when she is threatened. I sometimes can even anticipate her next move. I tried to google things about _Biyol_ magic, to see if anyone knew about what was happening to me, only to have it be a fruitless endeavor. Many tribes kept their heritage and culture a secret.

Alice and I had decided to go to the library, after I begged, of course. I sighed and Alice poked her head out of the aisle of fantasy novels.

"Did you hear me Bells?" I looked up and closed my laptop.

"Afraid not. Try me again." Alice smirked and walked back into the aisle.

"I saaaaid, how do you feel about the supernatural?" I stood up and made my way into the aisle Alice was inspecting. She was flipping through an Encyclopedia of sorts, except it was based solely on creatures said to be imaginary.

"So you mean like fairies? Dragons?" I inquired. Alice groaned and held the book up she was holding. On the pages were some very intricate drawings of shifting werewolves.

"No you dweeb that's fantasy. I mean like supernatural forces. Like super creatures. The book goes in great detail about vampires and werewolves." I chuckled.

"You never know what is out there." Alice jerked her head to look at me. I winked at her and walked back to where I had discarded my laptop.

* * *

It was the fifth day since meeting Alice for coffee and I woke up feeling like my insides were vibrating. I knew It was going to be hell trying to get through school today, so I decided not to go. I laid in bed for awhile, tossing and turning. My body couldn't relax, so I drug my body into the shower.

The hot water, cascaded off my body and warmed my flesh, but it didn't soothe the beast in me. I was in the middle of drying off when I heard my phone ring in the other room. I made my way to my bed and answered it without looking.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" I froze at the sound of Alice's voice.

"Alice? Are you ok?" She laughed.

"Yes I am just fine. However, it is you who is not in school right now." I clutched the phone between my head and shoulder and started getting clothes on.

"Yeah... I am not really feeling the best today." While Alice didn't say anything, I was under the impression she might have been disappointed to hear that.

"I see. Well do get some rest ok? I'll see you tomorrow, class is about to start."

"I will, thanks Alice." I hung up and threw my phone on my bed. Tonight, I had a feeling that Alice was going to find me shifted again, and I have no idea what the hell might happen.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Back at it again! I've got good stuff coming up! My creative juices are feeling extra juicy lol Thanks for being here! Please comment and review for my sake. I wanna know how you readers are feeling! Enjoy what I have finagled together this time!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Bella POV

I sat on the porch, bouncing my leg. The sun was taking its sweet time hiding behind the horizon. I knew I was completely capable of shifting during the day, but the dark concealed me a lot better. I checked my phone again to see if Alice had messaged me back. Still nothing. We had been messaging back and forth since school let out, until recently that is. Alice hadn't responded to my inquiry about her evening plans. My nerves had got the best of me and I couldn't resist the temptation of asking.

After a couple more minutes of silent waiting, I finally resolved myself to taking my impatient ass inside. Being outside was like torture. I pulled myself up off the porch steps and walked into my house. In an attempt to pass the time, I began preparing some things for the night ahead. I dug through the cabinets in the kitchen for some pain killers and set those out. Satisfied, I walked around the house closing up all the blinds. When I shift, there is a strict no peaking rule. Finally, I made my way up to my room and made sure my bed had plenty of blankets. I glanced at the clock on my phone and groaned, flopping on my bed. Only 10 minutes had passed. This waiting was eternal, and clearly never ending, that's for sure.

* * *

Alice POV

I heard the small sound of my door unlatching. After a moment, the sound of the door quietly closing pulled me up from my book. I smelled him first; honey and tea. I smiled as Jasper ran his hands over my shoulders, and bent down to kiss my cheek. I melted into his touch, letting him hold me in the desk chair.

"Hi there darlin," Jasper mumbled in my ear. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I knew it was a message from Bella. A sense of guilt washed over me. I have been spending a lot of time with Bella recently, leaving my boyfriend alone more often than not. I know he insisted he had no ill will against my need for socializing, but I just had to make up for all the time away.

"Hey Jazz." I responded, turning my head to properly plant a kiss on his lips. He smiled and made his way over to the bookcase. Upon twisting in my chair and getting a good look at Jasper, I feel like I haven't seen him in awhile. He wore jeans and a flannel tucked in. A black belt fastened it all together. I was really happy that he finally cut his hair. The blond locks were finally back to ear length and out of his face. He drug his finger across the spines of the many books tightly packed together on the bookshelf.

"Haven't you read everything on this bookshelf at least a dozen times?" he asked out loud, his southern drawl still sneaking in on some words. I laughed lightly.

"Yes, of course. But this time I am reading something new. From the library." He cocked his head over at me, smirking slightly.

"The Forks public library had a book on something you don't already know everything about?" Jasper walked back over to where I was sitting and extended his hand, "May I?" I stuck my bookmark in the page and handed it to him. He admired the cover a bit, and turned it over in his hands. After reading the back, he handed it back to me.

"What's got you reading about wolves?" Jasper inquired, making his way to the bed and taking a seat on the edge of it. I bit my lip and shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I have my reasons." He gave me a look and I crossed my arms, standing my ground. "I'll tell you about it sometime, I promise, but for now it's a secret." He smiled a warm smile at me and nodded. I felt my chest warm up. Figuratively of course, my heart was very dead, but I was really lucky that I had such a loving and accepting boyfriend. I couldn't fight the urge to tackle him onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and slowly we disrobed each other. Between my kissing and his touching, we spent a very long time in that bed. So long, that reading and the talk of wolves were long forgotten. Some time passed, and the sun was buried deep into the ground, leaving all it's empty space as a playground for the stars.

I was very content in Jasper's arms. I thought that nothing could move me from this spot, that is, until I heard a familiar howl call my name. Many miles away, I just knew that the wolf I had randomly encountered in the forest, finally was willing to see me again. I had to go. I let Jasper know, trying to hide the guilt I felt. When he was done saying goodbye and I was re-dressed, I jumped out my window and started sprinting.

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Bella POV

I was running through the forest, propelling my limbs to push me faster and harder through the trees. I felt clunky at first, since my wolf had been trapped for a couple days, but with each stride I became more confident. I weaved through the hanging branches and misplaced boulders until I found a wide open clearing. It was an area where there had clearly been a fire, I could still smell the burnt wood and ash. I deemed that this small, burnt, circular area to be the perfect place to meet with Alice. I howled, giving Alice my location, daring her to come and find me. I was unsure about why I was baiting her out, but I felt compelled to keep my promise. We had to see each other again, in our true forms.

I walked around the clearing, flicking my ears around, trying to listen for the vampire. The forest was darkening, and I could barely make out the never ending rows of trees through the creeping dense blackness. I carefully navigated my way around lots of burnt rubble, stalling, hoping Alice would show up. Briefly, I caught a slight light reflection hidden under piles of crispy leaves. Nudging some of the debris away, I found a shard of mirror. I peaked at my small reflection for a moment. My eyes were a deep green, and there were small black patches of fur surrounding my eyes, but otherwise my body was covered in brown fluff. I huffed, fogging up the glass for a moment. I've always liked my wolf form better. I felt vibrant and way more interesting as a beast.

I was about give into the temptation of running back home, convinced Alice wasn't coming, when I suddenly felt the air 'woosh' behind me. I spun around on my heels and met her golden gaze. I felt my tail wag unconsciously. I cringed at my wolf's blatant disregard of subtlety. Clearly I was happy to see Alice, but I would have preferred for that to remain sort of a secret.

I felt a little better when Alice grinned back at me. She knelt down and hesitantly held her hand out. I sniffed at her hand, secretly enjoying how vulnerable Alice was being. When the usual, weird scent I've come to associate with Alice washed over me I nuzzled her open palm.

"You are just full of surprises, wolfie," Alice said, scratching behind my ears. When she was satisfied, she stood and looked around the clearing. "There was a fire here a couple months ago, I read about it online. No one knows why it started, they never found out." I took a moment to sniff the air, there was so much lingering stale smoke that the source of this fire would be nearly impossible to pinpoint.

"Anyway! I'm not going to waste this precious moment to talk about fires. I want to find out more about you," Alice exclaimed focusing her attention back on me. "I am going to assume that you cannot talk?" I shook my head. "Ok. Guess for now it's yes and no questions only."

Alice got herself situated in the grass and eventually laid down, stretching her limbs out like a starfish. I spun in a couple circles like a domesticated lap dog and plopped myself down next to her. I watched as she looked up at the sky. I felt like this was the first time I could look at her unhindered; free from judgment. She was wearing a white t-shirt, choosing to dawn a loose fitting cream cardigan over her arms. Her legs were covered with plaid pajama pants. She was absolutely adorable. I felt honored to see her so burden free. Finally, Alice snapped out of whatever moment of distracted thinking she was caught in and turned her attention back to me.

"Alright, for the first question, I'll ask an easy one. Are you a _boy_ wolfie?" I growled and huffed rather loudly. Alice laughed. "Girl wolfie. Alright! Sorry I got it now." Alice pondered again for a few seconds, before sitting up.

"Do you live here?" I tilted my head at her, drooping my ears down. Alice furrowed her brow. "Do you live here, _in the fores_ t?" I shook my head. "So that means you live with someone outside of the forest, or perhaps you simply live very far away from here." Alice sighed.

I whined, worried that I had upset her. She smiled at me and shook her head. "Oh don't you fret. I'm just realizing how much I want to know, and how little you can _actually_ tell me." A breeze blew across the tops of the trees, rustling the leaves up in a chorus of shushing.

I truly did understood what she was getting at, but I was also really scared. Scared that Alice knowing the truth would break the foundation we have slowly begun building in the last week. How much could I trust her with my biggest secret? I was determined to find out. However, I did decide that I didn't like seeing her sad though, so I got up and trotted over to the edge of the woods. She watched me, curiously, a cute little smirk plastered onto her face. I barked, getting low to the ground, wiggling my butt in the air. I wanted see how fast the vampire could run.

"What are you doing wolfie?" I ran over to her and ran back, letting out small little barks of protest. Alice perked up and followed me to the edge of the woods. "Are you...trying to race?" I nodded my head. Alice rolled her shoulders and faced the forest. I followed suit, shaking off all the tired that had crept into my dormant wolf muscles.

"Just try to keep up with me cause I won't be holding anything back." I felt a competitive growl rumble in my chest.

"We're going to the cliffside, first one there wins." I felt Alice look at me for confirmation, but I took this as an advantage, and launched myself forward.

I heard Alice shout behind me, but I knew she wasn't far behind me. Thankfully, working to my advantage, I knew I was a few hours into my shift. I felt my claws digging into dirt and muscles working in overtime. I psuhed myself faster and faster. I could hear the wind whip past my ears. I focused all my energy into running, and before I knew it I couldn't sense Alice's presence. I hopped over several fallen logs and after crashing through many bushes, I reached the cliffs. A second later, Alice appeared. Her mouth was agape.

"You are one quick pooch. How did you do that?" I looked over my should her at her, letting my tongue loll out of my mouth. I took a seat on the edge of the rocks. She shook her head and took a seat next to me, dangling her feet. Above us, seagulls tried to scream over the waves lapping at the rocks below.

"Unrelated, but I've been trying to read about you, yah know. My friend, Bella," Alice laughed softly, " somehow she got me to the library, and I actually found a book on wolves there. I'm hoping there might be something in there that will help me understand you." I panted tiredly, pretending not to perk up at the sound of my name. I felt Alice run her hand through the fur on my back. I shivered and my ears flattened against my head submissively.

"For now though, because I don't know your name, I am going to have to call you something less degrading. Pooch is an awful." She looked away from the open water and smiled at me. When I looked over at her, she smiled even bigger. "Your eyes are so green! You must have caught envy in there." I bashfully looked away from Alice's golden gaze. She was way too kind. I swear if I had cheeks, they'd be so fucking red. Alice looked back out at the water.

"I think I'll just call you B. Seems fitting enough, sense you are all brown, like a brownie." I wanted to laugh out loud, but I settled for wagging my tail approvingly. She wasn't aware of just how close to my name she actually was and I found it to be hilarious.

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Bella POV

For the next couple of nights, Alice and I spent time together at night, rather than utilizing the day to pretend we were normal. Of course, Alice still talked to me as Bella, we just didn't make any evening plans. As for me in wolf form, Alice was true to her word and tried many tactics in an attempt to figure things out about me. Most of them were humorous to say the least. She brought picture cards one day, having me bark when I saw things that had to do with my life. She found that method to be too vague for her, if not extremely frustrating. At one point, I barked at a picture of a feather, and Alice was convinced I was hungry for birds.

On a different day, she brought the book she had checked out from the library and read to me. Having me let her know if she said something that applied to my _particular condition_. I did nudge her a couple of times during that session, and after a heated back and forth of questions, she concluded a couple of things about me. One, that time plays a role in my life and two, that the magic I have originated a long time ago. She was happy with the progress, I think.

However, on this particular day Alice brought up her family. She was explaining to me that her mother and father were very old vampires. Many centuries older, in fact. She spoke to me about being a vampire and how there was a time in her life where she drank human blood. It made her crazy; insatiable. Eventually, she got so out of hand that she nearly killed a child. That had been the last straw. She ran away from that life and, with time, found her parents. They taught her to be different. I watched her relay the story to me, with a feeling of admiration swelling in my chest. Her struggle made me feel like she might actually understand my life, what I am. I was going to tell her my secret that night, until she brought up her boyfriend.

At the mention of his name, I felt the magic in me writhe and wriggle in fury. I tried to ignore it. I wanted to be supportive, she was my friend after all, but this boiling in my veins was trying to force my hand. Alice was fidgeting with her hands, explaining many things about their relationship, including how they met.

"I wish it had been on better terms, but Jasper had many similar experiences when he became a vampire. Trust me B, facing the blood lust with evil people as your mentor is never a good first step as a newborn." There was a pounding in my head that was so loud, I could barely find Alice's beautiful voice through the noise. What was happening?

"I've never told anyone this but," Alice clasped her hands together tightly, keeping them in her lap, "I've never really told anyone else that I've loved them. I've been a vampire for hundreds of years and no one was every worth it. I think...maybe Jasper is." In that moment, as Alice spoke with a voice full of adoration, something suddenly snapped in me. The ringing in my ears intensified tenfold and my vision narrowed until it was all black. I could hear Alice speaking to me, but I was no longer able to make out any of the words. It was muffled; forgotten. A snarl ripped past my lips, white hot anger gripped my chest. My limbs started acting on instinct. I lunged at Alice, catching her off guard. She miraculously avoided my snapping jaws and scrambled to push me off, putting some distance between us.

"B! What in the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!" She danced around me and I flung myself wildly at her. Somehow I managed to get a good bite on her arm before she threw me clear across the clearing. My body smashed against the tree and my head smacked the bark even harder.

That good smack finally sent this angry magic away for good. Disorientated, I tried to stand, but a very angry vampire picked me up by the throat. Alice met my terrified gaze, her golden orbs flaming. I felt her starting to squeeze my throat and I quacked out a strangled yelp. She hesitated in her assault. I let out a pathetic whine, I had no idea what happened. I tried to get my thoughts together, but everything in my body was in sheer panic mode.

"B, you attacked me?" Alice accused, the end of her sentence curling up, betraying her angry composure. I whined again, flattening my ears against my skull. I begged Alice to trust me. After a couple breaths of Alice not taking her eyes off me, she set me back down and my legs trembled underneath me. I looked up and saw the gash in Alice's arm. It looked like cracked granite, shiny and broken. I darted my eyes to meet the vampires gaze, and I was met with a stressed and unforgiving stare. I was mortified. Using all of my remaining energy, I fled. I just knew Alice wouldn't follow.

* * *

Alice POV

I watched as B took off into the forest, perhaps going back to whatever it called home. When I could no longer hear or smell her, I finally grasped the wound on my arm. It didn't really hurt, but it felt useless. Similar to when someone has a cast on, and they cannot use the broken limb for a time. After tonight, I knew this endeavor was going to be far too hard for me to solve by myself. I've spent days digging and I felt that, the more I learned, the less I truly knew. I slowly made my way back to my home. I saw a new and scary side of the wolf tonight, and it could hurt me, but more importantly, it could hurt my family. I intended to get some wisdom from the people I knew.

I came into the house through the front door, and everyone was gathered in the living room already. I stopped in my tracks.

"Uh are you guys all just sitting around waiting for me? Did I interrupt some sort of cult meeting?" Jasper went to speak, but Esme beat him to it.

"We were worried about you. Jasper was telling us that...you go out to hunt every night?" It was in the from of a question, but I couldn't hide the hurt from my widened eyes.

"I just told them that it seemed out of the ordinary. Hunting has never been your focus darlin','" Jasper jumped in, trying to explain himself. Part of me was really burned he didn't trust me.

"So what? You all just assumed that I must have resorted to eating people again?"

"No one suggested that Alice," Carlisle started slowly. I tried to meet his gaze with the same intensity I had looked at Jasper with, but the caring and gentle father that looked back at me, easily banished my anger away. I sighed, running a defeated hand through my hair.

"Okay, I lied. I'm really sorry, but believe me, I was actually coming to tell you guys all about my problem." Everyone shared some looks and after they all seemed to accept my apology, more or less, I began to explain everything I knew about B. From the very first time I almost ate her. Sometime during the part about fighting B, Jasper moved to my side and wrapped a tense arm around me. The rest of the room just listened, with a certain bit of intensity, until I finally came to the end. Both of my brothers chimed in right away.

"Want me to go track down the mutt?" Emmett exclaimed, punching a fist into his hand.

"I second that. This animal sounds dangerous," Edward commented, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees.

"You both don't get it, there are more parts to this wolf than just the beast. I don't know hardly anything about her." While me and my brothers continued to bicker on the levels of importance killing the wolf might be, Carlisle and Esme argued in voices so quick and hushed no one caught them. Finally, they both spoke up.

"Alice, I think I know what B, might be." Carlisle gave me a sad smile and disappeared down the hall for several minutes, before returning with a picture. He offered it to me, still wearing a slight frown. Esme comforted her husband, wrapping an arm through his. I slowly removed the picture and gazed at it. The worn edges rubbed softly against my fingers. Carlisle stood next to a man I didn't recognize, but they seemed to be really good friends. They were both looking at the camera, grinning ear to ear. I flipped the photograph over and the year '1935' was scribbled on the back. Carlisle cleared his throat and I looked up.

"The man in that picture was my friend once, and he shared a secret with me. He called himself a shifter, a person capable of shifting into different animal forms. From your descriptions, I think that's we have in our midst, and I'm not sure what B's intentions are."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Not much to say up here this time! The only notable thing is that school has started for me, so I might have slightly bigger updating gaps. But you could bet your bottom dollar that I'll try to stay on top of this! Also thank you so much for the few that have left reviews and comments on my chapters! I really appreciate those things! I know it's not suuuuper long, but please enjoy the wordy bits I have concocted!

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Alice POV

"A shifter?" I asked, handing the picture back Carlisle. He looked longingly at the photo, his gaze never shifting from it as he spoke.

"Indeed. This shifter's name was Jacob." Carlisle smiled and moved to set the picture down on the living room table. "There was a time that I did some medical work outside the accepted practice. Lower income families mostly. It was during this time I met Jacob. His younger brother was very ill." Esme sighed and pressed her hand to her cheek.

"That must have been awful for him." Carlisle grimaced at his wife, tucking his hands into his pants pockets.

"It was very sad. For awhile, his brothers health seemed to be improving, but one night Jacob called me in the middle of the night, frantic. He couldn't explain what was going on. I rushed over as fast as I could, but….his brother was already gone." Carlisle pulled up his shirt, revealing a silver scar. It was jagged, and thin. The mark started just above his left hip and stretched up his chest, stopping shy of the curve of his shoulder. "Jacob was holding his lifeless brother in his arms when it happened. Right before my eyes, his form changed. One moment there was my friend and the next there there was a bear. His fur was black and his eyes were so green." Carlisle paused to shake his head and let his shirt fall back into place. "I didn't react fast enough, and this scar was the result."

I turned my head to peak at my arm that B had bitten earlier. I inspected the appendage quickly, and I noted that, while it was fully healed, there too was a scar.

"What happened next?" I asked, dragging my eyes back up to my him. Jasper quickly, but gently, slung his arm around my shoulders. His fingers traced light, feathery patterns on my arm. Carlisle took Esme's hand and made their way over to the last vacant couch. To their left was Rosalie and Edward, with Emmett nestled neatly in front of his girlfriend. To their right, sat Jasper and I, pressed together in the nook of the couch.

"I was worried about drawing attention," Carlisle explained, "so I had to deescalate the situation, fast. I was _very_ lucky to be a vampire, that's for certain. I was able to knock him out. He was out for a few seconds, and when he woke up, he simply shifted back." Esme reached out and took her husband's hand.

"Was he okay?"

"He seemed fine. Of course, he did apologize for giving me quite a thrashing," Carlisle smiled and reached up to rub his neck, "Though he was particularly perplexed by my healing abilities. So, I told him about being a vampire, and in turn, he told me about himself. Do keep in mind, I am no an expert. But due to the circumstances, I _can_ tell you what he told me." Carlisle looked over at me, searching my face. I nodded hurriedly.

"I'm not to sure where to begin, truthfully," He chuckled lightly and sighed, "I guess, the origin is as good a place as any. All Jacob told me was that shifters possess a magic that is very old." I thought back to B's happy bark when we talked about time. I felt a smile tug the corner of my mouth. I felt Carlisle still talking, I zoned back in. "His ancestors were being invaded, or something like that. Out of desperation they begged the disciples of Mother Nature to help them." Carlisle paused to survey the room, "Obviously, only a select few got the gift, and that's all he told me." I scoffed.

"How could he not know stuff about his _own_ condition? I'm willing to bet he also didn't mention where he came from either, did he?" I commented sarcastically. Carlisle shook his head.

"No, he didn't mention anything along those lines, but be gentle Alice. There are many other _helpful_ things he told me."

I sighed in frustration, reaching up to rub at my temple. Carlisle continued talking.

"When I asked him about being a bear, he informed me that there are only three types of shifters. Wolves, Bears, and Cats. As you may have noticed, B is a wolf." Edward spoke up at this.

"Is there anyway to tell a shifter from a not shifter? Or if you were to meet one in human form?" Carlisle mulled this over for a minute, before answering.

"From what I recall, Jacob said that all children with the magic are...branded somehow. Often with a symbolic depiction of the animal essence they posses."I gasped and covered my mouth, horrified.

"Branded? Like they burnt things into their skin?" Carlisle gave me a pointed look and he shook his head.

"Of course not Alice. It sounded like shifter children will develop a tattoo or birthmark." I sighed, relieved and nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Jasper lovingly ran his hand up and down my arm. When no other questions were asked, Carlisle continued.

"Let's see….ah yes! Jacob also mentioned that shifters are always on a bit of a count down. They cannot stay shifted for longer than a day and can only go a couple days before they must shift." Emmett started chuckling and after a couple moments, he was in a fit of cackling. The whole room looked at him bewildered. Rosalie, silent up until this point, slapped his arm.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Em? What is so funny?" Emmett managed to stifle his laughter and looked over his shoulder at Rosalie.

"I was just thinking it kind of sounds like these shifters are like, yah know, their own pets. Like you gotta let them outside, but you can't just leave 'em out there." Carlisle smiled.

"Actually, that is a great analogy for understanding this concept Emmett. However, these shifters are no house pets. They carry the essence of true beast inside them. Similar to us, they must fight their instincts and retain their humanity." I glanced at my arm again, the images of a snarling B, flooding back into my mind. She fought me was like no one was behind her eyes, like she didn't even recognize me. Jasper noticed where I was staring and gave me a reassuring arm squeeze.

"Is that why this wolf attacked Alice tonight?" Jasper asked, trying to remain neutral, but I could hear his accusatory undertone. Carlisle gave a tight smile and nodded.

"I believe so. The only other thing Jacob ended up mentioning to me on this subject, is that all shifters have triggers; weaknesses. This can range anywhere from over stimulation to just the smell of something." Carlisle shifted his eyes around the room, scanning. "For Jacob, his brother was a weakness. When he knew his brother was gone, the overwhelming emotions were too much. If a trigger is activated, the bridge between their beast and their humanity is severed."

"That sounds like the permanent kind of severing." I mumbled, trying not to sound defeated. Carlisle sighed and after giving a small squeeze to Esme, walked over to me and knelt down. He put a hand on my knee reassuringly.

"Jacob did not tell me much beyond what I have already mentioned, but if your interaction with B tonight is any indication, we could propose that this is not always a permanent event. Perhaps there is a window of time after a trigger happens where it is possible to establish a new connection. Though, I couldn't even begin to comprehend how that might work." I looked up at my adopted father and his eyes held nothing but understanding. Hesitantly, I laid my hand on top of his and squeezed. Carlisle nodded and stood back up and turned to face the remainder of the room.

"For the next couple of days, Alice and I will go out and search for this wolf. In the meantime, please keep an eye out for females with tattoos or birthmarks. Alert me of any suspicious activity or potential shifters." The room filled with clear approvals. Emmett groaned as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Who wants to place bets on who tracks down the mutt first?" Emmett grinned, eyes sparkling with competition. Rosalie scoffed and Emmett snapped a playful glare at her. "What babe? Feeling a bit of unprepared for this little hunting contest?"

I felt a little quiver in my dead heart at the mention of hunting. Suddenly, I jolted to my feet clenching my fists.

"Assuming that you _somehow_ manage to track down B, you will _not_ harm her. Is that clear?" I seethed, using all my strength to swallow the growl forming in my throat. Emmett flinched and blinked several times before nodding at me. I spun around on my heel and crossed my arms, willing the muscles in my neck to relax. I tried to remind myself that this little mystery of mine, would soon be solved. Maybe soon I will finally understand why...

A slight vibration against my leg pulled me out of my head. I fished my phone from my pocket and began to unlock it. I noticed a curious glance from Jasper, but he didn't linger long. When my home screen flashed alive, there was a text from Bella.

 _"Alice?"_

Bella POV

I felt like texting Alice was the biggest anti-climactic reveal in history. She _had_ to know it was me if I texted her, right? I was feeling so guilty, and as a result, I couldn't sleep. I could still see Alice's accusatory glare, it was etched into my brain. I betrayed her trust. It had felt real to be around her as my wolf and now she would probably just kill me on site.

I let out a groan and rolled over onto my belly, adjusting the blankets around me. The throbbing in my head had not ebbed in the slightest since I arrived home. Painkillers and a steaming shower did nothing to calm the angry pain. I buried my face into my pillow. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

" _Bella? Is everything you ok?"_ I read the words a couple times to see if I could find more meaning behind those five simple words, but the more I read it, the more I felt like Alice was genuine. I ran a hand through my hair and set out to typing.

" _Yeah I'm okay. Just had a terrible dream."_ The screen faded to black as the text sent and I sat up. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I padded my way across my room to the window. I leaned against the frame, reaching out and pressing the tips of my fingers against the icy glass. Outside, the full moon dripped its light all over the forest, turning some of the dark green vegetation into cauliflower. Distractedly, my phone buzzed on my pillow. I bit my lip and pulled myself away from the window, making my way back to the bed. I sat on the edge of it, leaning over to quickly grab my phone.

" _Wanna share?"_ I drummed my fingers against the mattress before answering.

" _I think there is alot I wanna share with you"_ I typed out the words slowly, taking my time finding each letter. I hit send and didn't take my eyes off the screen. Alice replied rather quickly.

" _Mm, that's very elusive Bells."_ I could feel relief attempting to wash over me, but I knew better. Alice was being herself because she knew human me wouldn't try to kill her accidentally. I sighed as my phone vibrated with another text from Alice. _"I wanna share things with you too."_ A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

" _Maybe it's time we confess."_ Alice read my message immediately.

" _Confess our sins? I like it. Let's do it tomorrow?"_ Outside my window a gust blew the trees against my house, scratching at the wall.

" _You bet, when and where?"_ As I waited for Alice to respond, I crawled from the foot of the bed back up to my pillow, burying myself under jubilee of blankets. I was about to doze off when I got the last message from Alice.

" _My house. Noon. Be there or be square."_ I groaned again and shoved the phone under my pillow. Shiiiit.

Bella POV

"Angela, I'm telling you that I don't have a double life. We talked about this already!" My best friend leaned against the door frame of her house, arms crossed and scolding me over the rim of her black glasses. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans and tried to avoid her gaze. The blue stained wood of Angela's porch was scuffed in some places, and the paint was peeling in others. There were multiple potted and hanging plants, most dead from the lack of sunlight. Forks was hardly the place to try gardening. Angela hummed impatiently and I sighed. "Ang, I know you hate secrets, but you have to believe me. Until I learn more about Alice, I can't trust her to know where I really live." The resolution was right on the edge of Angela's features when she uncrossed her arms.

"Bella, she isn't some mass murderer."

"I know, but it's complicated," I lowered my voice, and put on my best puppy dog eyes, "You know about what happened to my mom, speckles" I bit the inside of my cheek, half expecting Angela to lash out. Bringing up my mother was a low blow. It seemed to do the trick though, as Angela reached out to touch my arm.

"You're mom was in a _bad_ place B. Forks isn't like that, but I understand your fear, so fine. However, this isn't permanent, you got me?" I smiled and nodded. Angela mirrored my joy with a similar smile. She pulled me into a hug. "Also text me whenever. Seriously, I am here for you." With a wink, Angela vanished behind the closing front door.

I spun around to lean against the porch railing, letting out a relieved breath. Lying is so not fun. I hated doing it, but you can never really know how someone will react to you being half animal. As if one queue, Alice's black BMW slide into the driveway. I felt the pull instinctively, as Alice got out of the car. She crossed her arms on the open door and somehow, regardless of how many clouds littered the sky, her golden eyes twinkled.

"You ready to spill your guts?" I felt the wolf in me bristle with anticipation.

"I have never been more ready."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: People are actually enjoying this?! How frikken nuts. Honestly, I couldn't be more excited. Please continue to show your interest with reviews and comments!. Nothing much else to say, so I shant distract you further! Enjoy this (hopefully) delicious handcrafted chapter.

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Bella POV

"Show us what you really are." I watched Alice push heavy breaths through her nose, she wasn't looking at me. I tried to take a step forward, a plea curling around the tip of my tongue, but in a flash her eyes met my gaze, gluing me to ground. "Bella. Don't." The woods towered above me, stretching their wooden limbs into the air. I felt so small in that moment. The bickering of the birds had ceased to a mere murmur. The leaves shook gently in the wind, but to me, it seemed as if the forest was holding its breath; waiting.

I was surrounded. There were many pairs of golden eyes. The vampire coven kept their distance, but had circled around me, intent on deterring any ideas I had about escaping this particularly uncomfy situation. I didn't care though. I was focused on one thing. She stood in the center with me, her small frame shaking furiously. Her eyes burned into mine, I've never felt fear like the kind that currently gripped my chest, thundering my heart against my rib cage.

"Alice.." Her name felt like poison on my lips, I could barely force it out of my throat. That beautiful, pixie haired vampire, did nothing to quell my guilt. She just continued staring. I wondered if I was going to ever make this right.

Things were _not_ supposed to end up this way...

* * *

Bella POV 

_*Several Hours Earlier*_

"So here it is. Before you make any jokes, I know it looks fancy, but I promise we _are_ a simple folk," Alice commented, an impish smirk dancing on her lips. She put her BMW in park and I peered through the windshield at the modern brick block house that Alice and her family called home.

It was a multitude of shades varying from brown woods and black metals. There were so many glass windows, I'm a little surprised no one has ever seen anything suspicious through the transparent boxes. Truthfully, the structure itself was just a calculated pile of squares and rectangles The garage was typical, but part of the house hung over the walkway leading up the front door. Without a doubt, the architecture was mildly impressive.

Outside the vehicle, Alice walked towards her front door, shooting me a glare and waving me up. Impatient vampire. I climbed out the car and followed her up to the door, feeling the weight of feet dragging lightly on the cobblestone sidewalk. My nerves skittered along my skin, a clear sign my wolf was on edge. I could sense it's dismay, yet I felt no tug to run. I couldn't understand why it was letting me stay. Alice put her hand on the door knob, and peaked over her shoulder, gauging if I was ready. Her eyes sparkled and when I gave her a curt nod, she pushed the door open.

Alice and I took several steps inside the gorgeous house and Alice's family were all waiting for us, gathered in the living room, huddled in front of a couple couches. A redheaded women approached me immediately, tearing herself away from, what I assumed to be, her husband. She unabashedly engulfed me in a hug.

"Hello Bella! I am so happy to finally meet you!" The women spoke softly, almost a smoothly as Alice. Almost. I blinked a few times and offered her my best "I'm definitely not nervous as hell" smile.

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs…." I trailed off. The women scoffed, setting a stern hand on her hip, but her original smile never leaving her face.

"There will be none of this Mrs. stuff. My name is Esme. That will do just fine." She moved her hands to clasp them in front of her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you then, Esme." I finished. Without missing a beat, the blonde man pushed himself from the wall and approached Esme, moving his hand to cup her back.

"To continue with the introductions, my name is Carlisle," His golden eyes glanced over his shoulder, "and behind us are our other children."

"Those ones are not nearly as amazing as I am, obviously" Alice chimed in, snickering at her siblings. The room filled with laughter. Behind Esme and Carlisle, all the way to the left, the tall lanky one spoke up first.

"Regardless of Alice's banter, It's an honor to meet you Bella, my name is Edward," he said, tucking an arm behind him, bowing slightly. I tensed up my arms and offered him a little wave. He was really formal, I wasn't sure how to respond. Next to Edward, his big muscled brother reached up to scratch his head, keeping his other hand laced with the blonde next to him.

"I'm uh Emmett and beside me is Rosalie. She's kinda quiet. If I were you, I wouldn't mind her much." I gave them both a smile and tried to ignore the daggers being stabbed into me via Rosalie's eyes. She leaned herself on to one hip, and flipped her hair off her shoulder. I guess she didn't like me much. I watched as Alice left my side and approached the man on the end, leaning up to smooch his cheek, just underneath the fall of his golden locks. I felt my wolf quiver. I squeezed my eyes shut, and reached up to run a frustrated hand through my hair. I didn't need to cause a scene surrounded by vampires. Jasper should not bother me. Ugh.

"Aaaand this amazing man right here, is Jasper." Alice said, reaching down to take his hand, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. He winked at her, and pulled his attention to me. The affection in his gaze was quickly replaced with something close to tolerance. Our gazes met and he gave me a simple nod.

"I've heard very much about you Bella. It's nice to meet ya." His slight twang clipped the 'yeah' at the end of his sentence and he didn't really smile at me, but regardless, I offered him my acknowledgment as well.

"It's really wonderful to meet all of you," I shifted my gaze to everyone in the room, and shoved one of my hands in my pocket, "Thanks for having me." The room filled with mutual agreements and after several seconds, there was a quiet hum as people began to speak amongst themselves. Esme quickly put a hand on my arm.

"Are you hungry? Let me go get you something!" Before I could respond, Esme quickly rushed off down the hall, towards the kitchen. Carlisle chuckled.

"You'll have to be patient with Esme, she loves to dote." I laughed back, turning my attention to the blonde vampire in front of me. His slicked back blonde hair left his face exposed. There wasn't a single wrinkle in sight, nor blemish. Much like Alice, he was kind of perfect; pale skin, sunlight eyes and all.

"Esme seems to have kind interests at heart," I paused, worrying my bottom lip, "She makes me miss my own mother." Carlisle furrowed his brow, tucking his hands into his slacks.

"Your mother is not with us?" I shook my head, reaching up to push part of my hair out of my face.

"No. I'm surprised Alice didn't mention it. Unfortunately, it's not just my mother.." I trailed off, trying to clear my throat of the sadness threatening to crawl up it, "Both of my parents aren't around."

"That is truly tragic Bella, you have my sympathies." Carlisle spoke softly, a frown tugging at his mouth. I sighed and gave the blonde vampire a tight smile, meeting his gaze.

"It's been a long time, I've made peace with it, I think" I chuckled darkly, turning my eyes down to the floor, shuffling my feet uneasily. I heard Carlisle hum, and clear his throat.

"You'll have to forgive my prying, but the doctor in me is begging to ask if everything is alright with your wrist? You have been fiddling." I hadn't even noticed I had begun to rub my tattoo, certainly because of the mention of my mother. I cursed inwardly, fumbling to keep my composure. In my ears, I could feel the rapid flutters of my heart.

"Ah, yeah, it's fine!" I exclaimed a bit to forcefully, "It's just where my tattoo is. I got it for my mother. It reminds me of her." I bit the inside of my cheek as a clean brow raised on Carlisle's face. He smiled warmly, and nodded.

"I understand, I just wanted to be sure." Carlisle, looked over his shoulder at Alice and Jasper chatting with each other. Alice was retelling some story, her hands animatedly waving about. I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face, and almost on queue, Alice looked over and smiled back. This caused Jasper to look over as well and he couldn't stop the tiny scowl that crawled into his lips.

However, it lasted only a second before him and Carlisle shared a look. "If you'll excuse me, I remember my wife is still somewhere about. Please make yourself at home Bella," he turned to head down the same hall Esme had disappeared down and after a moment, I noticed Jasper whisper something in Alice's ear. There was some dissonance, but reluctantly the two followed suit.

wasn't sure if I was relaxed enough to go chat up the other three sibling still in the room, especially since one was still sending me glare bombs. I also had no idea if I was allowed anywhere else in this glamorous abode, so, feeling a bit overstimulated, I lazily made my way back outside, which my wolf was eternally thankful for. I slumped down onto the front steps and leaned my elbows on my knees.

The introductions and the chat with Carlisle took, not only more time, but more concentration than I thought it would. While everyone was _mostly_ kind, yah know, aside from the blonde's blatant hatred for me, I just couldn't shake this feeling of unease. I felt like everyone knew the punchline of a joke I didn't quite get. To top it off, half the family had managed to make themselves scarce in the last five minutes. What the hell that was about? Suddenly, a big gust came by and blew through my hair, un-sticking some of the smaller strands from my neck. The winds of change were here. I was going to tell Alice my 'sins' after all. Everything would be ok. I hoped anyway.

* * *

Alive POV

"Listen to yourselves. Do you realize what you are insinuating?" I protested, continuing to pace back and forth in front of the granite island. Carlisle shared a look with Jasper and his wife.

"Alice," Carlisle started, leaning forward to place both hands on the island, "Bella has a mark. You can't deny that." I stopped moving and let out a scoff.

"She told you she got a tattoo for her dead mom and you instantly think she is a giant wolf? You can't be serious Carlisle." I felt the anger boiling in my blood and the muscles in my jaw strain. I wanted so badly to give Bella the benefit of the doubt. I wanted so much to trust her. I watched Jasper move closer to me.

"Darlin', I don't understand why you are getting so upset. If Carlisle is right. Well," he paused to lay a hand just over the new shiny scar I had on my arm, "She could be dangerous. She hurt you. Shouldn't we be sure?" I let out a huff of frustration, turning to face my boyfriend, trying to keep my face angry. Even though in the pit of my stomach, other emotions stirred restlessly.

"Wouldn't you be upset if your family accused someone close to you of being a magical being?" I placed my hand on top of Jaspers, rubbing my thumbs lightly across his hand. "I don't mean to lash out. But you have one piece of evidence. I can't just break her trust. Bella has earned that from me."

Jasper met my gaze with his typical warm eyes, but he seemed to be looking through me. He didn't speak, perhaps he was lost in thought. I went to ask, but Carlisle spoke up.

"Can you think of nothing that has seemed unique about Bella? Was there anything that maybe your two friends had in common?" I moved my eyes away from Jasper and shifted them to my adopted father. He gave me a small shrug. "Humor me, please."

"Fine." I stepped away from my boyfriend and resumed my pacing. I thought back to all the times I spent with Bella. I see her blushing cheeks, fervently avoiding my eyes as she scopes out the weeds in the grass. I can taste her closeness, her warmth, next to me as she peaks at the book cradled in my arms. I can feel her gaze rake across my body, displaying forgotten merchandise of a forgettable parlor. She always meets my gaze, so confidently, that I forget I don't have a heartbeat. Her eyes are so vibrant; green.

I felt my eyes go wide with realization, abruptly halting my moving feet. Behind me, I could feel eyes still on me. I turned around slowly, meeting Jaspers gaze then slowly moving my eyes to Carlisle's.

"Bella has green eyes." I stated, matter of factly. No one seemed to get it. Jasper cleared his throat.

"What about it Alice?" So my family was right. I had been lied too. My emotions were a gasoline ocean and betrayal was the spark. I sighed and I willed myself to say the answer. My mouth felt mechanical.

"B has green eyes too." Esme gasped and frantically looked back and forth between her husband and I. There was nothing but silence, it was thick like syrup. I took a deep, unnecessary breath, and rolled my shoulders back. The fire grew.

"Alright, what's the plan Carlisle?"

* * *

Bella POV

I had sat outside for awhile, not that I minded, my wolf loved it. Eventually though, Alice came to whisk me away. We climbed into her car and, for some strange reason, we drove in silence. That feeling of unease I had before doubled in the empty space. She drove. I sat. She parked the car and got out, I mirrored. We trudged through the woods and winding paths, and I followed. I was so unsure of how to correct this atmosphere of coiled springs, so I left it alone. Surely, Alice had a plan, right?

After several minutes of walking, we approached the burnt clearing. The same one that haunts my conscious and my dreams. The familiarity certainly had my wolf crouching guiltily beneath my skin. Alice walked several steps into the clearing, leaving me among the trees. My feet wouldn't move. I'm watching her, but she has her back to me. Suddenly, she whirls around, keeping her gaze on the ground. Everything is quiet, except the sky. It's colors were so loud, I couldn't truly hear the words tumbling out of Alice's mouth.

"What?" I asked, blinking several times. Was that fear crackling in my voice? She didn't answer. Before I could ask again, around me, vampires began to appear. One by one they made themselves known.

"Show us what you really are." I watched Alice push long and heavy breaths through her nose, still refusing to look at me. I tried to take a step forward, a plea curling around the tip of my tongue, but in a flash her eyes met my gaze, gluing me to the ground. "Bella. Don't." The woods towered above me, stretching their wooden limbs into the air. The bickering of the birds had ceased to a mere murmur. The leaves shook gently in the wind, but to me, it seemed as if the forest was holding its breath; waiting.

I was surrounded. There were many pairs of golden eyes. The vampire coven kept their distance, but had circled around me, intent on deterring any ideas I had about escaping this situation. I didn't care though. I was focused on one thing. She stood in the center with me, her small frame shaking furiously. Her hands were balled into fists and her eyes scorched fire into mine, I've never felt fear like the kind that currently gripped my chest, thundering my heart against my rib cage.

"Alice.." Her name felt like poison on my lips, I could barely force it out of my throat. That beautiful, pixie haired vampire, did nothing to quell my guilt. She no longer seemed to be acknowledging me. Her request was still hanging in the air. I tried again. "Alice, I know you are angry, but I-"

"YOU LIED TO ME." Alice seethed, taking an angry step forward. "You kept things from me. Acted like two different... things! Then you attacked me. So spare me. Right now, I need to know the truth." Her eyes were black. "Do. It. Now."

I stood, stunned, shuffling my feet anxiously in the leaves. I took a couple deep breaths, and nodded, trying to ignore the worry gnawing at my bones. With each exhale, my wolf trembled with anticipation, but every time I willed the shift, it never came. I grumbled in frustration. Again, I tried to push the wolf forward, but it just sat agitated right behind the front door. I scowled and reached up to pinch the bridge of my nose.

"I've never done this in front of so many people. I don't know if I can." Alice looked over at Carlisle and nodded curtly. Some unspoken dialogue happened so fast I didn't see it and in the same fashion, everyone but Alice and Carlisle disappeared.

"And now, Bella?" Carlisle offered, very obviously being much kinder than Alice was being. I tried to meet her eyes, but Alice remained disconnected, her features hard and bitter. I sighed.

"Let me try, I think it should be fine now." I closed my eyes again and with one breath the shift quickly smoothed its way across my body. As my feet and arms changed, I fell onto all fours and shook my dormant muscles out. Carlisle gave me a soft smile and looked over at Alice.

"We have found our shifter it seems." Alice nodded at her father and very slowly drew her eyes to me.

"Here she is. Right under my fucking nose all along." I whined, flopping my butt down on the ground. "So what now? Are you just going to act like you aren't a magical fucking animal?" Carlisle cleared his throat.

"Alice, have you considered that maybe Bella is just as confused as you are?" I let out a happy bark. YES I very much was. Alice rolled her eyes and took a step forward, pointing a finger toward me.

"Are you actually on her side? She knew this whole time that I was a vampire, she saw me mid-hunt, killing a fucking mountain lion. Yet , she felt compelled to keep herself a secret. She led me along, like she was a lost puppy or whatever," Alice dropped her hand and sighed.

I picked myself back up off the ground, cautiously making my way over to the two vampires. Once I was close enough, Carlisle finally took a moment to really look at me and he let out a brief chuckle.

"My Bella, forgive me for saying so, but you are quite large, it's no wonder you had Alice scared. Your head easily comes to the middle of her stomach," he knelt and picked up my foot, "and these feet! Your paw circumference is double that of normal wolves." Carlisle dusted off his knees and stood back up, putting a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Regardless of the circumstances, Bella is very special Alice, her type of magic is fleeting, and getting smaller and smaller constantly. She may have needed to use caution no matter what she may feel for you." I tried to form an agreement with my canine mouth, but only mangled unintelligible groans came out. I think they got it though. Alice turned her head to look at me, finally kneeling to my level.

I pushed my nose against her cheek and my tail began to move on its own accord. Carlisle had hit the nail on the head. The last couple weeks I'd spent with Alice had a certain aura of tension plaguing my mind, it kept me from fully enjoying how amazing I knew Alice was. However, it was all out in the open now and I just wanted Alice to forgive me. A small smile was trying to fight its way onto her face, as the cold wetness of my nose nuzzled the curve of her cheek.

"Bella, why do you have to be so fucking cute. You are making it _impossible_ to be angry right now." Over Alice's shoulder Carlisle was viewing this spectacle with a kind smile on his face. He gave me a wink when he noticed my stare. Perhaps forgiveness was not as far away as I thought. With time, Alice would most certainly forgive me.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm here! With a new chapter! FINALLY. Someone please help motivate me to finish this semester. As always, thank you so much for being here! Eternally grateful for every kudo, comment, and review. Keep them coming. I have many plans for this fic, so stay tuned! Enjoy!

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Alice POV

"I knew you would track me down eventually." I leaned against the hood of my car, arms crossed. In front of my extended legs, stood Bella. She shuffled around in front of me, hands in her pockets. She wouldn't meet my gaze, but I could tell from her eyes that she was tired. The usual braid in her hair was missing and she wouldn't stand still.

"You've been avoiding me," Bella stated softly, just loud enough for my vampire ears to latch onto the words. It wasn't really a question, but her voice curved up at the end. I mean, she wasn't wrong. Since the big reveal, I've been absent from school and even more absent from my phone. I knew that Bella was sorry. Yet here I was, churning in my spite.

"You are observant." I replied dryly. Around us, students were hustling to their cars. Everyone way too preoccupied with their own freedom to notice our tense conversation. Bella's shoulder jerk slightly, and her jaw bone clenched under her cheek. I cursed inwardly at how grouchy I sounded. Finally, she met my gaze and her green eyes burned.

"You're _still_ mad at me?" Bella asked, letting the last bit of the sentence shake, her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper. Her lips puled into a tight line. I sighed and gestured for Bella to follow. We both climbed into my BMW and I carefully maneuvered us out of the parking lot, before taking off quickly down the road.

"I don't know that I'm actually mad _at you_ ," I began, letting one of my hands fall from the steering wheel to my lap, "I feel more angry with myself."

"Why?" Bella asked incredulously, whipping her head around to look at me.

"Try to understand Bells, I'm a _vampire_. I've been alive longer than any human on this planet. I can run faster than a bullet. I can break a tree in half with my fist. I eat mountain lions for dinner!" I raised my voice with each word, feeling some of my bitterness seep into each sentence. I kept my eyes focused out the windshield. "Yet somehow you managed to fool me! Keep me in the dark. You tricked me with your," I bit my tongue before the words came out.

"My what? Go ahead, say it." I knew Bella couldn't read my mind, but I felt so self conscious. Her eyes were on me, searching for the words that tittered behind my lips. I wanted so badly to tell her that I would lose myself in her pine forest eyes. Her lips let loose laughs so melodic, I swear i'm hypnotized everytime. I wanted to tell her that her lips were pulling my eyes down more often every day. "Alice?" I shook my head to clear these muddy thoughts.

"It doesn't matter. I know you had to keep yourself a secret. I have the same problem. I guess I needed time to get over myself." Bella was quiet, the visible gears turning in her head. She eventually sat back in her seat, and looked out the window. I've never been more grateful that she did not decide to pry further.

The car ride wasn't much longer after that. After a couple minutes, I gently pulled my car into the driveway of my house. Inside there was no noise. I strained my ears a little harder, but still there was no sound. All I could hear was the steady heartbeat of the girl sitting next to me. My family must be out hunting. I looked over at Bella and she was still gazing out the window.

"My family isn't home," I speculated, cutting the car engine off.

"I've really missed you Alice." Bella said tiredly, ignoring my sentence completely. She reached up and yanked a hand through her brown hair, pulling it over her shoulder.

"You do look terrible." Bella's eyes narrowed at me and she let out an angry huff.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been getting good sleep and I uh," She paused and visibly shook, turning her gaze down to her lap, "Haven't shifted in a few days. It's taking all my energy to keep it together." My expression fell and the linger of a frown tugged at my lips.

"You haven't shifted?" Bella shook her head. "Why?"

"I-," Bella paused to lick her lips, wetting the dehydrated cracks, "I feel like a monster. Like somehow you hated what I was." I let out a tiny gasp.

"Bella! Oh my god, no no no. I don't hate you." Instinctively, I reached out and took Bella's hands. I paused momentarily soaking up the feeling of contact. They were so warm. Under my granite skin, Bella's hands felt alive. I took my time tracing my thumb over the smooth skin. "You met me, covered in blood, mid hunt, literally thinking about eating you. If anyone is the monster, it is me; ten times over."

"Don't say that Alice. I know that your methods seem cruel, but you're intentions are good. You do what you do because you believe it is right. But me," Bella squeezed my hands timidly, "I'm just a wild animal." I scrunched up my face and let go of Bella's hands. With furious speed, I got out the car and was on the other side of the vehicle, draggin Bella out. I had an idea.

"Shift for me." I said sternly. Bella's cheeks darkened and she went to protest, but I pushed a finger briefly against her lips. "I wanna show you that your wrong. Please?"

* * *

Bella POV

I've seen Alice angry. I've seen Alice in scary vampire mode. I've even seen Alice be happy. However, as Alice pressed a soft, pale finger against my lips, I saw a new side of her. She looked vulnerable. Her eyes were transparent; windows with no curtains. I trusted this Alice.

"Alright," I whisper. Across the street from Alice's house were dense woods. I turned to face them, taking my time walking across the asphalt river in between. In my bones I could feel the burn of the shift skittering on the surface. In my chest, my wolf bounded back in forth in excited play, hardly able to restrain it's anticipation. I discarded my shoes quicker than I thought, unable to fight the beast in me. All it took was the scent of wood and dirt to get me going.

I ran several yards into the woods, feeling the shift pass over my arms and legs first, then my body. My clothes were long forgotten in the moving brush. I quickly looped back around to where I left Alice. I poked my furry head around a tree, and Alice was on her tiptoes, searching intently through the maze of trees. I suddenly felt that guilt wash over me again. _You are just a mangy mutt._ My tail curled under my legs and my ears pressed against my head. _She doesn't want a stupid pet dog._ I was conflicted. The human part of me felt frightened, but my wolf was so sure of Alice. I willed my body to move my legs, but instinct and fear kept trying to out stage each other.

"You know I can hear your out there, Bells." I mentally rolled my eyes, but her voice smoothed out the wrinkles in my confidence. I walked myself out of the trees and sat on the curb. I curiously tilted my head to the side, letting one of my ears droop down. Alice smiled sadly at me and walked over.

"I'm really sorry I've been distant," Alice spoke as she walked, fidgeting with her fingers, "It's just as I told you today. I was too proud to forgive you like I should have. I know you did nothing wrong." Alice knelt down on my level and placed her hands on either side of my head. At her touch my tail wagged. I let out a undistinguishable garble of sounds and Alice couldn't help but giggle at me.

"From the moment I met you I've felt connected to you somehow. I couldn't get enough of our time together. I care so much about you and I don't even know how that's possible," Alice laughed shyly and slid one of her hands under my snout and ran it down the fur of my chest. "You are a beautiful person and an even more beautiful animal. I want to know everything I can about you. You don't have to hide your true self from me. I'd be crazy to reject this part of you."

My wolf's pride swelled as Alice spoke highly of me. I yearned to voice my own care and admiration of Alice too, but my wolf had no voice. Churning in my veins was a warmth I've never known. It melted my bones, my willpower, and my walls. It traveled down my limbs and pooled in my fingers and toes. The intensity of this feeling was unbearable. Alice was still petting behind my ears when I couldn't take it anymore.

Seamless and much less painful than I was use too, my wolf form disappeared under my skin. Alice squeaked at my naked form and stood up, stepping back, away from the curb. I followed, catching her arm. Her eyes went wide in confusion, but I didn't pay much mind to them. My eyes were too focused on her lips.

I pulled Alice closer, pressing her body against mine. I cupped her face, gently curving my fingers under her ear and into her hair. A part of me was waiting for Alice to push me away but she never moved. Around us, the air felt electric; oversaturated with vibrating energy. My lips hovered mere centimeters above hers. I caught myself trembling, so unsure of myself. Alice groaned at something and then I heard it.

"You're family is coming," I said, but I didn't really hear the words come out. All my sense are so focused on Alice's black eyes and her tempting mouth.

"You gotta go, before they see you." Alice replied, but her voice came out hurried and stiff. I wanted to refute, but something in Alice's tone told me there wasn't any time. I pulled myself off the ground, grabbed my shoes and ran towards Alice's home. My wolf growled angrily at my resisting feet. They just kept running me away from what I really wanted.

I managed to get into Alice's home and breathlessly lock myself in one of the many bathrooms, falling limply against the door. I was dizzy with fervor, replaying the almost kiss over and over in my head. Until a crashing realization hit me. Jasper.

Alice has a fucking boyfriend. She is in a committed relationship! She once told me she loved him! I felt my happiness swirl down the drain, and the color fade from my face. Jasper would have been horrified to see what was going down just a minute ago. I would have ruined everything. My chest clenched painfully with each realization. What if she didn't even want me to kiss her? I didn't even stop to consider that maybe Alice isn't even into girls. I cursed into the empty bathroom, punching the floor.

I sat in the silence of my own thoughts for a little bit longer until the Cullens began trickling into the house. I couldn't escape now. I just needed to pretend like everything was ok and finally talk about my magic with everyone. I got up and walked over to the mirror and I had another realization. While I did forget I was naked, that was not what caught my eye in the reflective glass. My tattoo.

The small singular paw print I was use too was now a trail of prints. They climbed up my forearm and ended at the apex of my arm. They started out black, but as they wrapped around my elbow the color became more gold. In the center of the swirling paw prints, was a tree, full of leaves. It was also gold. I stared in awe at the art on my flesh, distracted. Then a knock came at the door.

"Bella? Are you ok in there?" It was Alice. I felt guilt well up in my throat, but I bit it back.

"Mostly I think. Any chance I could get some clothes though?" Alice whispered hush words to a male voice in the background.

"I'll have Esme bring you some, ok?"

"Thanks." I reply, turning my attention back to my new expanded tattoo. Oh boy. Tonight was going to be real interesting.

* * *

Jasper POV

"Alice? Are you okay, love?" I mumbled into Alice's head. She was currently wrapped up in my arms, her head nestled under my chin. She didn't respond. She just kept taking deep breaths, never stopping to look at me. "Alice?" I tried again.

"I'm alright," she finally breathed out, turning her face up to look at me. I leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Bella and I were talking about what happened. I haven't been talking to her much lately."

"I noticed as much."

"I had to explain my feelings. She didn't….take it well." I raised an eyebrow. Why did she hesitate? I removed my arms from around Alice and took her hand. We started making our way to the house.

"Bella did not like the discussion?" I inquired casually. Alice laughed softly and shook her head. I waited a little longer to see if she would explain further, but she did not. I pushed. "What happened to get you so worked up?"

We were outside the front door and Alice pulled her hand from mine. I stopped walking. Alice kept walking a few steps ahead of me. Before she pushed past the door, she faced me. I couldn't place the origin of Alice's discomfort and it disturbed me. For the first time in many, many years, I didn't know this Alice. Her eyes were gold, yet ashen. Her smile was tight and bittersweet. Her jaw was rigid and missing it's usual soft and tender shape. Her voice was firm.

"Don't worry about it." We stood silent. I didn't know what to say. "I need to go find Bella." With that, she left me standing on the porch. I scowled at nothing, feeling a bit useless. Alice has been acting weird since Bella showed up and I wasn't sure how to move around this subject. Above me, the gray clouds kept drifting by and the air kept it's crisp chill, never subsiding as the wind blew. The sun was masked and never peaking through. The atmosphere felt much like a tablecloth, hanging over the night.

"Jasper? Are you coming in? Bella is ready to talk." Carlisle called out. Was I ready? I doubt it.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I know, I know. It's been awhile, but here I am with a new chapter. To pay for my absence, please enjoy some fluff and lovey bits! Also, some good news is, that while I was writing this, I got an idea for the next chapter and that is also in the works now too! So my plan is to have that done very soon after this one. As always, thanks for being here and enjoy the chapter!

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Bella POV

I slide the glass door shut behind me, letting out the breath I had been holding. Thankfully, the talk with the Cullens went better than I had expected. Carlisle was honest about the things he knew, and in return I told everyone the things I knew too. Although, most of my knowledge came from trial and error, rather than being taught, but ah well.

I knew it wasn't the first time I had been surrounded by vampires, but that last time it happened, I thought I was going to be eaten or something. I was a little nerve wracked because of it. I'm sure they could all tell.

On the flip side, something surprisingly good did happen amongst the chatter. At one point, Alice came into the room and chose to sit next to _me_ on the couch, rather than Jasper. I had to hold back my snort when she straight up walked past his open space. I did have a problem with his glaring afterwards. Why did he think that I somehow forced Alice to shatter his pride. I could see why my wolf didn't like him with that kind of childish attitude.

Other than Jasper, the only other problem I had was paying attention. Alice was now sitting next to me, closely, might I add. She didn't do anything to _explicitly_ deter my focus from the conversation, of course, but she was distracting in her own right. Every time Carlise would expand on an answer I gave or pose a new question, I found my eyes briefly drifting to her in the spare moments. She seemed to be paying attention to the conversation as well, but every so often, I'd catch her eyes peeking at me too. A smile slowly crept onto my face.

Inside my chest, my wolf bounded around excitedly. My smile widened. While Alice seemed to be partially responsible for my wolfs emerging personality, I was thrilled with the change nonetheless. Since my first shift, there always felt to be a wall between my beast and I, even though we always shared a soul. Things use to really bad. I felt my eyes close as memories came flooding back.

 _Curled up on the floor, pained moans and mutters filled the space. I rocked myself back and forth, begging the shift not to very sun felt to be boiling my blood. Dark patches of skin littering my arms and legs. Parts of my body would slowly shift, tearing my skin like paper. Another memory replaced that one, suddenly taking me to the woods. I had been careless. Caught in a hunters trap. He stumbled up to me, stunned by my size. I had no choice. Blood stained teeth. The gun shot. The weight of his body being dragged beside me, his white tee clenched in my rigid jaw._

My eyes sprung open as panic shot through me. I was back in the backyard. I heaved gulps of air into my lungs. The grass was still there and the trees still stood tall beyond the yard. I remembered the moonlight and the open sky. I wasn't that person anymore. Things really have changed since then. I knew that.

I haven't been here long but, being in Forks has done nothing but improve my wolf's behavior, as well as my relationship with it. It had begun to feel more alive; practically tangible. It was like I could pull myself in two and have interact with a completely separate entity. It was progress and I was thankful. I wonder what my mother would think…? Was this how she felt too?

I started to pace back and forth, my shoes scraping the stones in the floor. I had my eyes glued to the ground, my thoughts continuing to analyze the endless knowledge my mother could provide me, if she were alive. I had started out pacing, but after noting the different stone colors the porch was made out of, I was easily swept up in trying to avoid the dark rocks and land on the light ones. In no time, I was spinning and twisting around the porch.

"Am I interrupting some kind of ritual dance?" A voice said from behind me. I let out a small squeak as my foot landed late. I stumbled forward a few steps before regaining my balance. I blew a few strays of brown hair out of my face and spun quickly on my heel.

"No, no, no ha….no," I cleared my throat and shoved my hands into my jeans, "I was just kind of doing it. As a distraction." Alice watched me for a moment, seeming to mull over my answer. She was leaning against the door frame, a smirk on her face.

Her eyes sparkled playfully and swirled like honey. Covering her torso was a dark, navy, flannel. It looked a bit worn out and baggy on her small frame. The flaps were buttoned partially leaving the top open. The exposed skin was tempting, but most of it was left to the imagination. Her jeans had been swapped out for some plaid pajama pants, the strings in front dangling freely. Her feet were bare, although it didn't surprise me to see her toes had been painted blue. I didn't even realize my eyes has drug themselves down her until they snapped back to meet her gaze.

"Distraction from what, mm?" Alice asked, stepping out onto the porch. Above us, the awning hung far enough to cast a shadow over the porch and deflect the beaming moonlight.

"From….most things I think. The last few days have been stressful." I said in an attempt to act like I didn't just check her out. When she arched an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. Alice hummed inquisitively and tapped the side of her cheek.

"Care to elaborate? What's got you stressed?" She asked. I thought it over before answering, casting my eyes away from the girl in front of me.

"Things like my past. My mom. I keep thinking about all this new information I have now. I mean, I think what Carlise said about my tattoo expanding makes sense. I just never realized it before." Alice let out a giggle.

"Okayyy….What about it? Is the big bad wolf afraid of feeling things?" I rolled my eyes.

"It's more than that Alice. Carlise hit the nail on the head. Shifters really do _thrive_ on emotions. We are ruled by them, like little beastly puppets." I dropped my eyes to the ground. "Emotions are hard to predict, and if we feel something just a bit to strongly, they can be really dangerous, lethal even. It's terrifying to think about..." Alice was silent for a moment, taking a moment to walk closer to me. The pads of her feet slapped softly against the stony floor.

"Your tattoo expanded because you felt something, an emotion, very strongly. That emotion's shear strength simply caused your magic to physically manifest where your original shift tattoo was," she started, saying each word in gentle explanation, "If you can figure out ahead of time what your emotions might be, you can prepare accordingly for the reaction." I reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose and turned my attention back to Alice.

"That's definitely easier said than done though Ali. I mean, I've been going over in my head and I can't really figure out how I am suppose to guess my emotions _in the freaking future._ " Alice sighed.

"I know. I know. Emotions can just hit you in a moments notice, but if that's the case, what are you supposed to do then?"

"Hope I can handle the outcome I guess." The silence that settled between us was a bit weird at first, but I knew Alice trusted me; never doubting me. In that moment, things felt okay. We both stood outside with the sounds of the forest. The wind blew the treetops and the owls hooted. Among the light bathed grass, the crickets chirped. Alice and I meandered up to the edge of the porch, just enjoying the night. After a moment, she stretched her arms upward, groaning pleasantly at her relaxing muscles.

Unconsciously, my eyes drifted to her. I followed the curve of her jaw, appreciating her flawless skin. I took in her adorable nose and crinkled eyes. She really was beautiful. Even her ears looked soft and delicate. My eyes lazily drifted lower, curving down her neck to her strong shoulders.

My eyes climbed further down traveling to the dip in her flannel. It had opened enough for the curves of her chest to catch my eye. A fire ignited in my belly and it gripped my muscles. My desire became heavily apparent and I tensed up. The animal in me pushed and pushed against my tension, getting increasingly angrier at my resistance. I cursed under my breath.

"Are you ok?" Alice asked, eyes wide. I quickly nodded, seeing my chance.

"Yeah I'm fine. I think I'm just tired. I should probably just head inside." Using what was left of my strength, I retreated back to the sliding glass door. My hand touched the handle and went to pull it open, but Alice's voice stopped the motion

"Is this about what happened earlier?" I swallowed thickly and looked over my shoulder.

"I don't know what-"

"Don't fucking lie to me Bella." Alice interjected. I snapped my mouth shut, the muscles in my jaw clenching down.

"Okay. I'm sorry," I said turning around completely. Alice kept her eyes on me, slowly placing herself directly in front of me.

"You don't have to pretend like nothing happened. We both know better." She said softly, almost shyly. My throat felt so tight. Alice's eyes held my gaze in chains.

"I know I just...felt bad about the whole thing," I croaked, feeling the flames lick up my cheeks, "Jasper is important to you." Alice crossed her arms over her chest.

"It seems like that doesn't it?" she retorted.

"You told me that the night he was. The night….I uh..." I trailed off.

"Lost control?" She finished. I simply nodded in return, not trusting my voice to come out. Alice was standing _so_ close to me. To say I could smell her would be an understatement. I have a great sense of smell usually, but right now, my wolf could pick out every individual scent on her. I could smell the shampoo in her hair. The forest on her skin. It was exhilarating...which meant it was also dangerous as hell. I took a small step back, but I was met with the hard glass door.

"I am sorry about that night too, but mostly I'm sorry about what I tried to do to you. It wasn't fair," I dropped my eyes to the ground again, shuffling my feet, "I never even thought about how you might have felt. Or considered the people in your life."

"You're absolutely right Bella. You caught me off guard and put me into a really difficult situation." Inside my chest, a whimper crept up my throat. I wanted to run away from this, but I owed Alice a chance to lecture me. I kept my face down turned. "It has been hard enough adjusting to your new magic and now you're pressuring me to do weird things. Seriously, I've never been so conflicted about a person before." There was a pause. Behind my eyes, the tears wanted to come and streak wet ribbons down my face, but I held it together.

I felt Alice invade my space again, this time, she ran her hand down my arm and intertwined her hand with mine. I looked up at her, confused, but she just smiled at me.

"Wha..?" I mumbled out, but Alice shook her head and squeezed my hand.

"I was joking," Alice stated, the playfulness returning to her eyes. I scowled.

"That was really mean! I was totally going to cry!" Alice squeezed our intertwined fingers again.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. You are too easy to play with."

"Even if that were true, it's not nice to taunt me. I really felt bad about what happened."

Alice snickered and pushed up on her tiptoes. Her free hand came up to cup my cheek and her lips let out a small breath against my own.

"You want the truth?" She mumbled. My eyes darted to those beautiful, pink lips centimeters from my face and back to Alice's golden eyes. My wolf vibrated under my skin and howled in my bones. My blood was on fire.

"Yes." I said softly. Alice bit her lip.

"I wanted that kiss _just_ as much as you did." Then her lips were pressed against mine. I was expecting warm, but she was cool. The flesh felt soft and smooth, molding perfectly against my own. She tasted like the caress of dark chocolate, or laying on satin sheets. It was simple and sweet, yet my whole body was working to maintain some kind of coerce thought.

After just mere seconds, the kiss was over. Alice pulled back, her hand still firmly laced with my own. Those sunny eyes had darkened to a mix of black and yellow. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips. I bite back a moan. My wolf's desire came back full force and I was powerless against it. I pulled Alice back to me and wrapped my free arm around her waist.

I hastily pressed my lips against hers and she whined at the contact. I let go of her hand, moving it to the other side of her hip. After another moment, Alice pulled back again, this time putting more distance between us. I was breathless and dizzy. Missing the contact, I went to take a step forward, but Alice held up a hand.

"Mmm wait Bella." I stopped my advance and forced my hands into my pockets. I instantly thought I had fucked up again. Alice's eyes were pitch black and staring at the ground. I watched her shutter several times and take some deep breaths. Eventually she looked back up at me.

"Are you ok?" I asked. She smiled, but the edges curved down.

"I am now," Alice laughed softly, tucking a few pieces of black hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry about that, that doesn't usually happen." I nodded and reached out to retake Alice's hand. She intertwined our fingers together.

"What _does_ usually happen?"

"Under the usual circumstance, most stimuli are well within my capabilities. Blood is the only exception to that rule. It drives vampires a little batty." I chuckled at the pun. Alice pulled me away from the door and back towards the edge of the porch, where the shadows are banished by the sea of moonlit grass.

"This time was different then I'm assuming?"

"It's kind of embarrassing, but similar to when I drink blood, you aroused me enough to put me into an almost frenzy." The heat rose in my cheeks at the mention of arousal, but I continued to listen. "The difference between the two however, is when I drink blood and go into a frenzy I want more of that stimuli. When I was kissing you, I just wanted more...of you." Alice finished, trailing off. Hearing this spurred more fire in my belly, but I knew that we could really shouldn't be doing these things.

"I see." I mumbled, trying not to focus on the memory of pretty pink vampire lips or the sounds escaping them. "I'm sorry I pushed you that far."

"It's okay Bells. I was just feeling really good and I wasn't sure what would happen if didn't stop." I only nodded. I wanted so badly to see that future unfold, but that got me thinking.

"Speaking of what's going to happen," I held up our joined hands, "What does this mean? What _are_ we doing?" Alice looked at our hands and back to me several times before finally settling on looking at me,

"I don't know."

"Alice." I cautioned.

"What? That's the truth. All I knew was that I needed to kiss you. I wanted to show you that I wanted it too." My features softened at the explanation.

"Okay. I got that now, but I can't help but feel bad about Jasper. Isn't he your mate?" Alice frowned and looked away from me.

"That's the thing. I just don't know anymore."

"Do you still love him?" I whispered. Alice met my gaze again and held it. We stayed like for what felt like a long time. The question sat suspended in the middle of us. Alice seemed conflicted, her eyes shimmering with something I couldn't identify.

"Give me time to figure that out." Alice finally said. I couldn't help the disappointment that flashed across my face. Alice caught it quickly. "Please don't be upset though. I'm not sure about a lot of things right now, except for you, Bella. You make me feel a lot of things. So many things. Please be patient with me."

"Alright," I replied smiling, "You are lucky we have nothing but time." Alice let out a giggle before stepping in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. I could feel some of the tension leave the space as we stood there. After a few moments, Alice looked up.

"I kind of want to kiss you again." she whispered. Her eyes had fully regained their golden color. I grinned.

"How can I say no to that?" Without another word I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. It was light and sweet, similar to the first time our lips met. We kissed slow and sticky, our lips only leaving each other for a moment before diving in again.

Then the glass door slide open. I tried to look but I was launched into the yard. I collided into the grass, tossing grass clumps and dirt into the air. I scrambled to my feet, quickly clutching my bruised shoulder. Jasper stood next to Alice, fists clenched down at his sides. My stomach dropped. Alice had taken a step back, seemingly trying to process the situation before finally stepping in front of the angry Jasper.

"Jasper! What are you doing?" He didn't move his eyes off me.

"She was kissin' you," He deadpanned, "Mangy mutt with her hands on my girl? I think not." I felt my wolf bristle at his words. I couldn't stop the growl that came out.

"I'd watch your tone." I warned, trying to reign in my anger. Every bone in my body was telling me to dominate; make him submit. Alice took a small step back and that got Jasper's attention.

"Darlin'?"

"Jasper I…." Alice tried, but her voice shrunk. Jasper reached out to touch her arm, rubbing it soothingly. It felt like slow motion as Alice removed Jasper's hand and backed away from him. He watched, mouth slightly agape.

"Alice?" Jasper pleaded again. Alice made it to the middle of me and him.

"I can't do this anymore Jasper. Things are complicated, _my feelings_ are complicated. You are suffocating me." Jaspers face stayed stunned for several seconds before twisting in bewilderment.

"Is this because of her?!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at me over Alice's shoulder, "Did she put you up to this?"

"No Jasper. I made this choice myself. All Bella did was show me her feelings." Jasper stepped back and shook his head. Things escalated as he started pacing and clinging to his golden locks.

"No…..no….this isn't. Can't be. Why? I...loved her," he mumbled, getting louder with each word. I had hoped with all my heart that Jasper would just leave us alone and bail. I'd much rather go back to kissing Alice rather than defending myself from her mates (perhaps ex now) fury. As if reading my thoughts, Jasper suddenly refocused on me, meeting my gaze sharply.

"You'll pay for this.!" He roared. Then he was in front of me. His hand darted forward, but I caught it inches from my throat. His eyes burned with fury, orange churned in them. My skin itched where Jasper's skin touched mine. My shift sat furious under my skin, causing my whole body to quiver. It was becoming harder to resist. I stared him down.

"If you do this," I strained, my voice coming out layered, an unusual deep boom behind each word, "You will be the one who pays." Then the shift swallowed me.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello readers! As always, thank you for you patience and any kind words offered to me in the comments/reviews. I really treasure them. I also cherish honest critiques and I thank those who offered me that as well. I'm back at this school stuff again, and it's really quite dreadful this semester…..but that is certainly not what you are here for me to write about. Without any more stalling, onto the good stuff!

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Bella POV

They say no one shows their true colors willingly. The strongest of men could have the weakest will. The brightest star could create the darkest night. Sometimes the warmest smile comes from the coldest people. The only thing that can _truly_ expose us is pain. The kind that clings to your insides like barbed wire curling around a post. It often catches you by surprise; seemingly innocent. You reach out and try to grab it, only for it's jagged edges to grab you instead. It hurts like hell.

Jasper was certainly hurting right now. I know how it happened, but I'm amazed at how fast everything just fell apart. We were spiraling farther down into this shit bucket, for lack of a better word. I should have been more careful, I suppose, but...there really was no going back now.

His gaze was piercing; almost crippling. His once golden eyes had since melted into glassy obsidian. He was shaking...no, vibrating with anger, all directed at me. We were in the middle of something that used to look like a living room, but now could be repurposed as a graveyard for one. The couches were strewn about. Some were just broken, others seemed to explode into colorful pieces. The wood was splintered into dust all over the floor. The glass table, of course, didn't survive either. Shards of it were plunged into the walls or scattered about with the wood chippings. In one particularly nasty close call, Jasper had managed to jam one piece of glass into my leg. It was steadily draining blood down my leg and into my shoe, wetting my sock. The fabric clung to my skin, staining it red. The walls were dented in multiple places, having taken the full weight of me into them and the air stunk like cooper and sawdust.

I could hear the woods outside and I felt uneasy at the lack of noise. The rest of the Cullens, all but one, had resigned themselves against getting involved in this scuffle. Each one choosing to scatter when the situation escalated. In the middle of Jasper and I, stood Alice, both hands raised in a stop. While what she was doing did nothing to sooth Jaspers rage, she did put a halt in his onslaught. Distress was etched faintly into Alice's eyes and mouth, pulling her features into a scowl. Her clothes were torn in some places and her hair was a little less kept than usual, but that was the extent of the damage. Jasper looked similar.

I, however, had taken most of the hits. The glass in my leg burned and bled. My head throbbed from the many impacts I had with the wall. My arms were littered with smaller lacerations and bruises. My clothes were lost during the first shift, so now I was naked, but no one really paid that much mind. All that seemed to matter was the immediate danger of an angry Jasper.

"Jasper! Stop this right now! Bella is hurt!" Alice practically shrieked, her small frame, suddenly feeling much smaller against the fury of Jasper. He didn't look like he was going to answer her, but suddenly he started laughing. It was the kind that came from his belly; cynical and void.

"That's kind of the point, _darlin'_ ," he sneered. Alice shook her head slowly, finally lowering her arms and turning to her mate.

"Jazz, you know that-"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT. Stop with the lies." Jasper interrupted, raising his voice. Alice took a step back and I felt the urge to be by her side. I tried to take a step forward, momentarily forgetting how weak I was feeling, and stumbled to the ground. Alice spun around.

"Bella! Oh my g-, Carlisle! I know you can hear me! I'm begging you to come and help Bella. Please!" I didn't even realize Carlise had shown up until he was by my side and moving my limbs carefully, arranging them in a way so he could carry me. Once I was in his arms, Jasper growled loudly.

"Why?! Why would you help her after what she's done?"

"She's innocent Jasper. It wasn't her," Alice cut in, giving Carlise a chance to ignore the question. I felt a whimper well up in my throat and I was slowly sinking into a dark place. Was I dying? I thought you were supposed to see a light? Christ. I guess that stuff is only true for normal humans.

I felt myself tremble harder in the vampires cold, granite grasp. The world felt so cold. Carlisle didn't waste any more time before quickly getting me out of the room. I don't know where we went, but I barely registered the pillow beneath my head or the hands on my leg before I lost consciousness.

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Alice POV

"Be angry with me," I said again. Jasper definitely seemed off, practically erratic. I needed to keep his attention off Bella, that was all I knew. I narrowed my gaze as Jasper ignored my question and tried to follow Carlisle out of the room. I stormed up to him and shoved him as hard as I could. He flew through the back window and thudded into the ground outside.

"I don't like to be ignored, Jazz." I warned, knowing full well that he could hear me just fine. Outside was dark and the breeze blew lightly through the new hole I created.

"She's a thief, Alice," Jasper gritted out through his clenched teeth. He stumbled back into the house, eyes somewhat dancing back and forth between their normal golden hue and a misty grey. Aside from his eyes, he was anything but normal. His features were angry and acustatory. The permanent snarl on his lips never left, even as he continued to speak.

"She took what was mine. There was a trust there I-" Jasper strangled out the last bit before snapping him mouth closed.

"You're trying to kill Bella over something supposedly stole? When are you going to consider the fact that this is my fault?" Jasper laughed again, burying his hands into his gold curls. The laughter shook his whole body and he cackled into the ceiling.

"What is so funny?! You sound insane." Jasper halted his outburst, snapping his eyes to meet mine. His face was blank and hard.

"You. know. nothing." I was hardly something you could consider alive, but I swore I could feel a shiver that rolled over my skin. An ache in my chest coiled tightly and stole my imaginary breath.

"You are MY mate. How dare she kiss you. How DARE she steal your heart; mess with your feelings. She is nothing compared to me!" Jasper got louder with each proclamation and my heart shook. This wasn't the Jasper I knew. He was frightening. The sound of movement tore my attention out of my thoughts. Jasper was there, mere inches from my face.

"It's not Bella's fault, Jasper," I whispered, "I kissed her first." Suddenly, there was a hand around my throat. I scratched as Jaspers hands and pulled at his fingers.

"What?" He barked, "You betrayed me?!" Jasper seethed, his eyes moving rapidly over my suspended body, his face contorting in disgust.

"Yes," I croaked, "I'm so-."

"SHUT UP! You are a dirty liar! You chose that filthy animal over me. Me; your mate. I've spent decades with you. We've helped each other grow. Alice...how could you?" My granite skin began to crack audibly in the empty room. My vision was blurring and my arms fell to my sides. Jasper continued, "Our love was special. Our nights in bed were perfect." Another loud crunch bounced around the room and in that moment, I was certain I was going to die. The sounds in the room had dulled to muffled tones. I couldn't feel my limbs and my brain felt mushy. I was scared and before I could even stop it, her name tumbled past my lips.

"Bel-la."

Jasper stopped squeezing and gawked at me. He scoffed, "Did you just say her name?" I didn't get a chance to answer before Jasper was knocked away. He smashed into the far left wall. I dropped to the ground and clung to my throat. My head felt heavy and things were swirling around; my senses both dulled and hyper aware.

Among the nonsense I felt a familiar wet warmth press against my cheek. I struggled to raise my arms up, but finally I managed to bury my hands in the comforting fluffy fur of Bella's neck _._ It sounded far away, but Jasper was back and, somehow, angrier than before. His voice sounded strange.

"I'm going to give you one last chance Bella. Get away. from _my_ mate," Jasper drawled, pacing side to side, his eyes never once leaving Bella's, "and just maybe I won't kill you." I tried to sit up, but it was so disorientating. Beside me, Bella let out a low growl. My vampire healing felt so slow compared to the situation, but my vision and hearing were back. My mouth felt stiff, but I needed to say something.

"Jas-sper." I stuttered, trying to keep my face firm. His eyes moved to meet mine.

"What?" He gritted out.

"You just tried to kill me."

"You deserve more for betraying me."

"You are a maniac." Jasper's features screwed up and he balled his hands into fists.

"It wouldn't have to be if you had just remained faithful to me, but now she has your heart. It's only a matter of time before your feelings become love."

"Just stop this Jazz, we can work someth-"

"No!" Jasper snapped. His eyes darted around the room frantically. Feeling strong enough to stand, I pulled myself from the ground. Things were starting to spiral down because Jasper was choking out empty sobs, his glassy eyes back to black. I took a step towards him and he held up his hand to stop me.

"I…...love you Alice. You can't ask me to be okay with this." I felt a lump in my throat and a ball of iron settle in my stomach. "She _can't_ have you while I still live. I'm sorry."

Beside me, Bella let out a snarl, her fur standing up along her spine, something I assumed to be a final warning. Around us the house was a mess; destroyed. I wanted to laugh because it felt so much like my life right now.

"I can't let you do this." I urged, my voice a shrill whisper. Jasper met my gaze, but his eyes were empty. They looked like stones; lifeless. Mirrors with no reflection of the man within. His eyebrows furrowed, creasing the skin along his forehead. He frowned.

"I won't give you a choice," He then turned his attention to Bella. Her wolf was on edge but she never moved from my side, that is, until Jasper spoke again. "I'll kill Alice if I beat you. Come and get me." In a beat, Bella was gone. I barely had time to see her collide with Jasper and crash to the floor.

I went to interject, but Carlisle had returned and grabbed my shoulder. I tried to shake him off.

"Alice," he warned. I gawked at him over my shoulder.

"Carlisle, they are going to kill each other. Let me go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. They need to work this out for themselves. I believe you will only continue to escalate things." I tore my eyes away from my father and nodded. All I could do now is watch whatever decided to unfold.

* * *

Bella POV

I smashed my head into Jaspers chest. He flung backwards into the wall, making yet another dent. I was on him again, stomping my front paws into his stomach. My claws curled into his marble skin. He reached out to grab my throat, but was a hair too slow. I twisted my head and bit down on the appendage. His hand, thumped to the floor. His other hand caught a handful of my fur and threw me aside. I yelped as my body slammed into the ground.

Jasper quickly dashed off the floor and grabbed my back legs. I struggled to kick him off and in the frenzy of flinging paws, one of my front claws scratched his eyes. Stunned, he stumbled backwards. I scrambled to my feet and rammed my head into his chest again. He landed roughly a few feet from Alice and he groaned. I watched as Alice's wide eyes looked from him to me and back to him. I knew that this was going to be a hard moment, but I wanted Alice to approve. I tilted my inquisitively.

"Just do...what you have to do Bella," Alice choked out. My chest rumbled in satisfaction; the beast in me bounding in victory. I approached Jaspers prone form. He hadn't moved since landing. I swiftly bit down on his throat feeling my teeth chizzle at the rocky "flesh". His neck felt foreign in my maw, even my teeth were unsure of this meal. He was cold. It felt different from my last kill. The man in the woods. Blood splatters on his white tee. His throat had been warm, liquid ooze, a river of red life. This was going to be different, and part of me was excited. I began to crunch down, but before a sound could even crackle, a different sound stopped me. Sobs. Dry, empty sobs.

Alice couldn't cry, but she was hurting, as her ex mate sat within seconds of death. Did Jasper really deserve death because he was heart broken? He didn't really give me a choice though. My wolf brain was conflicted.

There was no time to react when jasper grabbed my neck and flipped us both over. I landed with a loud crack, my body gurgling out a strangled howl. Jasper pressed his forearm into my throat.

"Clearly your new pet is a bit stronger than I anticipated so," Jasper announced loudly, "so here's the new deal. I will let puppy live, if I can walk away. If you don't I will end. her. " Alice went rigid next to Carlisle, who was doing nothing my glaring coldy at the entire situation. I was struggling to free myself, but I felt a retching pain in my abdomen and I was finding difficulty breathing. "Tick Tok, darlin'. The dog won't last forever. I might just kill her on accident." Alice snarled.

"Alright! Deal. Just let her go and get out of here." Jasper grinned and threw back his head in maniacal laughter. I was half expecting him to snap my neck, but he did as he promised. He stood up and backed away from me quickly. Alice was at my side at once.

"I'll just be on my way. Don't think this is over though, dearest. You were mine once, you will be mine again. Just you wait." Then he was gone. Blurring out of the busted house. The stars in my vision was clearing up, but there was a fire in my side. Carlisle slowly approached me, kneeling next to Alice and laid a hand on my side.

"Bella has a broken rib and her leg is now bleeding again from the glass puncture. I should also examine her wrists from that first-" I drowned out the rest of the spiel as Alice gazed at me. I couldn't speak, my wolfish mouth couldn't form words, but I wanted to tell her that I was sorry.

Sorry I had been careless. Sorry that I couldn't finish the job when I needed too. Sorry that I couldn't protect her. Most of all though, I was sorry that I still hadn't told her how I felt. Years of my life were spent learning to be alone. Surviving day to day, knowing that someday a fate worse than death would probably find me. I spent a lot of time feeling like my mother was my last real love in the world. The world certainly works in mysterious ways, like an ever changing river.

In the short time I have come to know Alice Cullen, she has bedazzled me and earned my trust. With each passing moment, she also earned my affections and now, as I lie here, with her gazing into my eyes, I think she may have won my heart too.

"Alice? Bella? Are either of you listening to me?" Carlisle snapped. Alice shook her head and gave him a sad smile.

"No, sorry. I just keep replaying the night over. Bella and I almost died tonight." Carlise sighed and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"No one could have foresaw this altercation, Alice. I'm sure there will be time to work out the details and get everyone up to speed later. Right now, Bella's life is still in danger if we do not help her wounds." Alice grimaced.

"Okay, let's do this."

"Help me carry her," Carlisle paused, "Bella this might hurt but there is no easier way to move you at the moment." I let out a small puff of air. The two vampires arranged themselves to hold me by my legs and head. Even with the counting, the sheer pain of my broken bone caught me by surprise. It wasn't too long before I was unconscious for the second time that evening.


End file.
